The Phoenix Suns looked dead in the water as they fell behind by 22 points early in the second quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday afternoon, but the Suns chipped away at the deficit and then used a huge fourth quarter to secure a big win for their playoff hopes. Phoenix is now just a half-game out of the playoffs in the Western Conference.
2014 NBA scores: Suns erase 22-point deficit to beat Timberwolves, Nets outlast Mavericks in OT
With the Suns’ victory and the Mavs’ loss, Phoenix is now just a half-game out of the Western Conference playoff race.
Markieff Morris led the way for Phoenix with 25 points and eight rebounds off the bench. Eric Bledsoe chipped in 21 points and P.J. Tucker scored 19 as the Suns shot a scorching 57.5 percent from the field.
Phoenix gave up 41 points in the first quarter and continued to struggle early in the second quarter before trimming that 22-point deficit to 11 by halftime. The margin was 10 heading into the final frame, where the Suns outscored the Wolves 34-17.
Kevin Love had yet another monster line in defeat, putting up 36 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists. Kevin Martin added 25 points.
Brooklyn Nets 107, Dallas Mavericks 104 (OT)
Joe Johnson did his clutch thing again, sending the game to overtime with a layup with slightly more than nine seconds left. The Nets then held off the Mavs in the extra frame.:
Brooklyn trailed by 14 after the first quarter and seven heading into the fourth quarter, but Marcus Thornton quickly got the Nets back in it with two threes. The game stayed tight throughout the stretch before Johnson's heroics.
Johnson scored 22 points, while Thornton tallied 20 off the bench. The Nets only shot 40.5 percent overall, but did hit 11 three-pointers.
Monta Ellis scored 32 points and made a last-gasp attempt to bring Dallas back in overtime, but he missed a potential game-tying three-point attempt. Dirk Nowitzki shot just 2-of-12 from the field.
Toronto Raptors 96, Atlanta Hawks 86
The Raptors outscored the Hawks 36-15 in the fourth quarter to earn a hard-fought victory. Kyle Lowry scored 25 points, with 13 of those points coming in the fourth quarter. DeMar DeRozan notched 21 points and 10 in the final quarter of action. Terrence Ross only went 4-of-14 from the field, but one of those four was this ferocious slam:
Paul Millsap and DeMarre Carroll both scored 17 points. Atlanta went just 5-of-20 from three with Kyle Korver out of the lineup with back spasms.
Cleveland Cavaliers 106, New York Knicks 100
Jarrett Jack scored a season-high 31 points as the Cavs erased a 17-point deficit to end the Knicks' eight-game winning streak. Dion Waiters added 22 points and Cleveland shot 60.9 percent as a team:
Carmelo Anthony scored 32 points, but he went 0-of-5 in the fourth quarter. The loss dealt a big blow to New York's playoff chances, as they could have moved two games behind the Hawks in the race for the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with a win.
Denver Nuggets 105, Washington Wizards 102
Kenneth Faried finished with 20 points and eight rebounds to lead the Nuggets over the Wizards, who led by 14 early before losing the lead by the second quarter.
Bradley Beal scored 18 points, and Washington actually outshot Denver by 4.2 percent, but they turned the ball over 24 times.
Sacramento Kings 124, Milwaukee Bucks 107
DeMarcus Cousins tallied 32 points and 12 rebounds in just 29 minutes to lead the Kings to a rout over the Bucks in a game that wasn't nearly as close as the final score indicates. Cousins also had one nasty dunk:
Sacramento led by 40 points late in the third quarter before Milwaukee made a run in the fourth to make the final somewhat respectable.
O.J. Mayo scored 21 points off the bench to lead the Bucks, who have lost seven games in a row.
Los Angeles Lakers 103, Orlando Magic 94
In a battle between two teams near the bottom of the standings, the Lakers came out on top behind 28 points and 13 rebounds from Jordan Hill. Nick Young added 26 points off the bench, including a sweet four-point play:
The Magic lost their ninth game in a row, but Victor Oladipo did have 21 points and 10 assists, so the game wasn't a total loss.
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