Phoenix Suns squander double-digit lead, fall to Hornets: By the Numbers
Nov 15, 2014, 4:50 AM | Updated: 4:50 am
The Phoenix Suns let one slip away.
Holding a double-digit lead against a Charlotte Hornets team yet to win on the road, the Suns could not close out the victory, falling 103-95.
Things looked so good in an opening period with zero, yes zero, Suns turnovers and five 3-pointers. Everything that worked so well in the opening 12 minutes failed the Suns in the final 36.
Poor second and fourth quarters in particular doomed the Suns, dropping them to 5-4 on the season.
Eric Bledsoe led all players with 22 points. Marcus Morris scored 17 and the other three Suns starters scored 12 points each.
Here’s a look at Friday’s game by the numbers:
14 (Part I)
The Suns squandered a 14-point first-half lead en route to their fourth loss of the season. It was the second time in Phoenix’s five-game homestand that the Suns lost after holding a double-digit lead after the opening frame.
14 (Part II)
As good as the Suns played in the first quarter, they were equally awful in the second — getting outscored 33-19. Phoenix was unable to build off a strong opening quarter that saw them hit five 3-pointers.
1st (Part I)
Eric Bledsoe dropped his first double-double of the season against the Hornets, scoring 22 points and 11 rebounds. He came oh so close to getting a double-double in the second game of the season (12 points and nine rebounds).
1st (Part II)
Phoenix is the first team to lose to the Charlotte Hornets at home this season. Prior to Friday, Charlotte was 0-4 on the road.
23
One game after the bench played a major role in Phoenix’s victory over the Brooklyn Nets, it was a major hindrance for the Suns. Phoenix’s bench was outscored by 23 points (43-20) by Charlotte, as every bench player in orange was in the negatives in plus-minus.
28
After hitting 3-pointers at a 50 percent clip in the first, the Suns went 3-of-19 from beyond the arc in the final three quarters. They finished the game shooting only 28 percent from 3.
6
The Suns are about to embark on a six-game road trip that will take them to Los Angeles, then out East. They do not return home until the day before Thanksgiving.
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