Phoenix Suns fall to Heat despite 17 3-pointers: By the Numbers
Dec 10, 2014, 4:33 AM | Updated: 5:52 am
Suffice it to say the Phoenix Suns would like to forget a 24-hour stretch that began Monday night in Los Angeles and ended Tuesday night in the Valley.
Coming off a last-second overtime loss at the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday, the Miami Heat handed the Suns another defeat, 103-97 at US Airways Center.
The Suns’ 17 3-pointers on 35 attempts weren’t enough, as the Heat shot 53.8 percent from the field and were led by Chris Bosh’s 34 points on 14-of-21 shooting.
Phoenix took a 51-46 lead into the half and led 91-90 with just over three minutes to play thanks to a 3-pointer from Marcus Morris, who scored a team-high 25 points off the bench and hit 5-of-6 triples for the game. But Miami answered with a 7-0 run, capped by a Bosh 3-pointer with 1:49 to play.
After another Marcus Morris 3 trimmed the Heat’s advantage to 100-97, Dwyane Wade grabbed an offensive rebound and scored on a layup to stretch Miami’s lead back to five points with 35 seconds left.
The loss was the Suns’ third straight — all by single digits — while the Heat snapped a four-game losing streak.
Here’s how the home team went down Tuesday night, by the numbers:
4
Guard Eric Bledsoe followed up his first-career triple-double in Monday night’s heartbreaking loss at the Clippers with an awful shooting night Tuesday. Bledsoe managed just four points on 2-of-11 shooting from the floor, including 0-for-6 from 3-point range. He also committed seven turnovers, though he did add a game-high eight assists.
5
All five Heat starters scored in double figures. Luol Deng had 23 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the field, while Wade added 16 and Norris Cole and Josh McRoberts both had 10.
7
The Suns lost despite hitting seven 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, accounting for 21 of their 25 points in the final period.
13
An incredible 13 3-point field goals came off the Suns’ bench Tuesday. Marcus Morris and guard Gerald Green both hit 5 treys, while forward Anthony Tolliver added three from beyond the arc.
23
One quick look at the stat sheet will tell you turnovers played a major role in the Suns’ third straight loss. Phoenix committed 23 turnovers to add to its season average of 14.5, tied for the 10th-worst mark in the NBA.
55
Led by Green and Marcus Morris, the Suns’ bench outscored the starters 55-42 on Tuesday.
