Suns Take Down Melo, Knicks
Eric Bledsoe took the game over in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s matinee game between the Phoenix Suns and New York Knicks to lead the road team to a 99-90 victory.
The Suns trailed at the half 47-44, but cut that deficit to just one, 68-67, entering the fourth quarter. That’s when Bledsoe took matters into his own hands and got the job done for Phoenix.
Bledsoe scored 13 of his team-high 25 points in the fourth quarter while also grabbing 10 rebounds and nabbing three steals in the process. It was his second highest scoring outburst of the season after scoring 27 against Indiana earlier this month.
The bench squad filled their share as well with 38 points, including 22 from Isaiah Thomas who nailed three three-pointers in the game. Thomas played a season-high 32 minutes and in doing so, was able to reach the 20-point threshold for the third consecutive game and for the ninth time this season.
Dec 20, 2014; New York, NY, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Isaiah Thomas (3) lays up a basket during the first quarter against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
Thomas’ scoring off the bench has helped propel the Suns bench to be the second highest scoring bench unit, 43.8 points per game, in the NBA behind the likes of the Milwaukee Bucks.
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The Suns were also able to “contain” Carmelo Anthony and only allow him to put up 25 points on them, despite playing 40 minutes. Anthony did tack on 11 rebounds as well in his first game back from an ankle injury. It was only Anthony’s third double-double of the season.
Jose Calderon joined the “I’m a point guard so let’s all have a decent game” party as he added 21 points, five rebounds and three assists to help the Knicks cause, but it was not enough as the loss drops the Knicks to a measly 5-24.
After dropping six consecutive games, the Suns have battled back to win their past two contests on the road against Eastern Conference foes and now are back to .500 mark at 14-14.
The road trip will finish tomorrow evening at 4 PM MST with the Suns taking on the Washington Wizards in our nation’s capital.