By the Numbers: Suns lose 4th quarter lead, drop second straight
Feb 26, 2014, 4:38 AM | Updated: 5:01 pm
After a blazing start since returning from the NBA’s All-Star break, the Phoenix Suns appear to be on their way back to Earth.
The Suns won their first three after the break, including a 21-point blitzing of the San Antonio Spurs. But Phoenix fell to the Minnesota Timberwolves 110-101 at U.S. Airways Center on Tuesday, their second straight loss — both involving blown fourth-quarter leads.
Here’s a closer look at the loss, by the numbers:
1
Phoenix guard Goran Dragic fouled out for the first time this season, and just the third time in his career. Dragic scored 16 points and dished three assists before picking up his sixth foul near the four-minute mark.
2
The Suns have blown back-to-back fourth-quarter leads en route to two straight losses, the first of which came to the Houston Rockets.
16
Phoenix forward P.J. Tucker grabbed 16 rebounds — eight both offensive and defensive — more than twice as many as any other Suns player.
17
Minnesota outscored Phoenix by 17 points over the game’s final 7:56, closing on a 27-10 run after trailing by eight.
20
T-Wolves forward Shabazz Muhammad scored 20 points in what may have been his best NBA game — including 10 points in the final quarter. He also grabbed six rebounds to go along with an assist.
24
Markieff Morris went off for a team-high 24 points for Phoenix, though he shot less than 50 percent from the field and finished the game with a +/- of -3.
33
Minnesota star Kevin Love struggled in his first game against the Suns this season, but that wasn’t the case in his second go-around. Love went off for 33 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists, falling just short of his second triple-double in the last three games.
