Phoenix Suns Fear No Deer, Defeat Milwaukee Bucks 126-117

Jan 29, 2014; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Phoenix Suns guard

(1) shoots during the second quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

MILWAUKEE — The Phoenix Suns set a season high in points, as they rolled the Milwaukee Bucks 126-117 at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee. Goran Dragic led all scorers with 30 points as the Suns moved to 3-0 on their current four-game road trip.

Dragic added four rebounds and six assists for the Suns (27-18), who kept their momentum going on their road trip. This looked like a classic trap game, with a rematch against the Indiana Pacers looming the next night. Instead, the Suns turned in a relatively focused effort from start-to-finish, as they led by as many as 23 points in the first half.

Gerald Green scored 23 points with two steals, as he and Dragic combined to shoot 16-for-26 from the field, 8-for-11 from the 3-point line and 13-for-13 from the free-throw line. Perhaps just as importantly, neither player played more than 30 minutes, with Green at 29:57 and Dragic at 23:33.

Dragic banged his elbow late in the game and eventually needed ice to keep the swelling down, but he was able to continue to play after the injury, even knocking down his very next 3-point attempt.

The Suns bench played a big role tonight, with Marcus Morris scoring 16 points and Markieff Morris adding 13. Alex Len set his career high with 10 rebounds to go along with his seven points in 21:59.

The Bucks (8-37) got 26 points from Ersan Ilyasova, while Brandon Knight added 24 points, eight assists and two steals. Larry Sanders chipped in with 14 points, nine rebounds and two blocks off the bench.

Notes

• The teams combined to shoot 64-for-68 (94 percent) from the free-throw line.
• The Suns won despite being beaten in the paint (50-42), in second chance points (18-14) and in fastbreak points (20-12).
• Phoenix is currently positioned as the No. 6 seed, a half game ahead of the Golden State Warriors.

Bright Side

Goran Dragic is taking his All-Star opportunity seriously. Although Eric Bledsoe was a great addition to the club, Dragic is showing how much worth he has with each game that goes by. I love nights like these when he’s able to get his shot off against anyone, when he gets to the basket and draws fouls and he shows his toughness by hitting the court over and over, getting up every time.

Dark Side

I don’t think coach Jeff Hornacek is going to be thrilled about giving up 117 points while forcing just nine turnovers. The Suns defense was playing some form of Hack-a-Buck as they were whistled for 29 fouls. Sure, the Bucks shot 42.7 percent, which is a win in anyone’s book, but it wasn’t because the Suns were playing terrific defense.

Coming Up

The Suns will finish up their four-game road trip with a stop in Indiana on Thursday, Januray 30th to face the Pacers, who will have revenge on their minds.