Phoenix Suns ride big 4th quarter to victory over New York Knicks: By the Numbers

Dec 20, 2014, 9:15 PM | Updated: 9:58 pm

Arizona Sports

The Phoenix Suns saved their best for last Saturday afternoon — as in quarter, that is.

Taking on the New York Knicks, the Suns came out of the gate running and grabbing an early lead. The Knicks recovered and soon got themselves back in the game, forcing Phoenix turnovers and missed shots.

It turned into a low-scoring affair, and New York took the lead by halftime, holding onto it through the end of the third quarter, although the Suns kept it close.

Phoenix’s Isaiah Thomas hit the first basket of the fourth quarter, a three-pointer, and the Suns found themselves with a two-point lead. The visitors held firm and dominated the quarter, outscoring the Knicks 32-22.

The Suns went on to defeat New York 99-90 at Madison Square Garden, picking up their second-straight win and returning to .500.

The Knicks, who were missing forward Amar’e Stoudemire, fell to a dismal 5-24, the second-worst mark in the league.

Here’s a look at the Saturday’s early contest, by the numbers:

3-9

The result was actually positive for the Suns, even though they failed to reach 100 points. They came into the game just 2-9 this season when they don’t hit the century mark, but they broke a six-game skid in that area with Saturday’s win.

5

Suns center Alex Len was big on the offensive glass, as he grabbed more boards there than he did on the other side of the ball. Len pulled down eight rebounds in 21 minutes, and five of them were on the offensive end. The second-year pro, however, only made one of his six attempts from the floor and finished with four points. Miles Plumlee replaced Len for 17 minutes and did not score, although he did grab five rebounds, including one on offense.

6

Markieff Morris seems to find new ways to pick up a technical foul. He was assessed his sixth of the year at the end of the first half for trying a full-court shot after the buzzer that hit a fan. The Knicks came out of the half and got to take a free throw before play even resumed — not something you see every day. Morris, however, had a pretty strong game, making 8-of-16 shots for 19 points and adding five rebounds and a steal.

11

Eric Bledsoe was the Suns’ star of the game with 25 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and three steals in 36 minutes. It was the fifth-year guard’s 11th double-double of his career. The Suns are now 2-2 when he reaches double-figures in two categories this season, and they actually are just 2-6 now when he scores 20 or more.

12

Phoenix let Knicks backup center Samuel Dalembert wreak havoc on the boards, as he was one shy of his season high with 12, including seven on the offensive end, in 27 minutes. However, the Knicks held just a two-rebound overall advantage on the afternoon: 45-43.

12-43

The combined record of the Suns’ last two opponents — the Charlotte Hornets and the Knicks — is 12-43 as of Saturday afternoon, which makes for a winning percentage of .279.

14-14

With a 14-14 record, Phoenix is just a half-game ahead of the Oklahoma City Thunder for the ninth-best record in the Western Conference. The Thunder next face New Orleans on Sunday. The Pelcicans are 13-12 and just a half-game ahead of the Suns for the eighth spot in the conference.

21

The Suns let veteran point guard Jose Calderon have one of his better games offensively. The 10-year performer made 8-of-13 shots and tied his season high with 21 points. Carmelo Anthony led the Knicks with 25 points on 9-of-19 shooting.

22

Backup point guard Isaiah Thomas was effective off the bench again for Phoenix. He got some playing time alongside Bledsoe and Goran Dragic down the stretch, and the 5-foot-9 guard finished with 22 points on 7-of-12 shooting, including 5-of-7 from behind the three-point line. Phoenix is now 8-1 when the first-year Sun drops 20 points or more in a game.

25

After attempting more than 30 threes for five straight games, the Suns took it easier from long range for the second-straight game. They put up 25 shots from downtown Saturday, making 10 of them (40.0 percent). New York, meanwhile, made just seven of their 22 attempts (31.8 percent). Both of the last two Suns wins have come with them trying fewer than 30 threes, so there may be some correlation there.