Green’s buzzer-beater tops Jackson’s jumper, Suns drop record 14th straight
Mar 30, 2018, 8:08 PM | Updated: 8:13 pm
Houston Rockets guard Gerald Green (14) celebrates with James Harden (13) after hitting a shot at the buzzer to beat the Phoenix Suns in an NBA basketball game Friday, March 30, 2018, in Houston. (AP Photo/George Bridges)
(AP Photo/George Bridges)
The Phoenix Suns, losers of their last 13, had no Devin Booker, T.J. Warren, Elfrid Payton, Jared Dudley, Tyson Chandler or Alex Len against the Houston Rockets, winners of a league-leading 61.
So naturally, the Suns were in control most of the game, but still found a way to lose late 104-103.
The perimeter trio of Josh Jackson, Troy Daniels and Tyler Ulis were terrific, combining for 66 points. Daniels hit seven 3-pointers, Ulis added 12 assists and Jackson hit 13 of his 24 shots.
Phoenix was leading by 10-15 points throughout, including a 57-40 halftime lead.
Houston waited a long time to get back in the game, almost too long. Phoenix was up 86-75 at the start of the fourth quarter and maintained that distance until a 12-3 run made it 91-90 with 5:09 to go.
With nearly everyone watching expecting a Suns collapse in the last five minutes, they would defy that and hang around until the 1:04 mark, when MVP favorite James Harden was fouled with his team down 101-97.
Harden would miss both free throws, but Ulis would turn it over on the following possession and Marquese Chriss immediately fouled P.J. Tucker, putting Tucker to the line with Houston in the bonus.
Tucker only made one, and after another poor Suns possession, Harden drilled an effortless 26-foot step-back 3-pointer to tie the game with 12.2 seconds left.
That left the Suns with the game in their hands and Josh Jackson was the player they chose to give the game to.
Jackson responded by hitting a pull-up jumper off the dribble, bringing his total to 27 points on the night.
We 👀 you ROOK! pic.twitter.com/FHmLFSWdos
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) March 31, 2018
The mistake, though, was leaving 1.4 seconds on the clock. Former Suns head coach Mike D’Antoni ran a decoy play centered around James Harden. Covering Gerald Green, another former Sun, Jackson went to cut off the passing lane to Harden, leaving Green open in the corner as Jackson was bumped from behind by Harden.
Marquese Chriss had an admirable closeout to recover on Green, but Suns fans know all too well of Green’s ability to hit the big shot.
Nobody reps H-Town like Gerald Green! 🤘 pic.twitter.com/nq6Pe0am5y
— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) March 31, 2018
Green hit the buzzer-beater making it 14 losses in a row for the Suns and leaving them winless in March. The 14 losses is a new Suns record for one season, as they have lost 14 straight before, but the streak counted the 1995-96 season’s finale and the first 13 games of the 1996-97 season, all losses.
Phoenix has only one win since the start of February and has now lost 29 of their last 31 games.
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