Suns avoid historic road losing mark, beat Magic behind career game from Alex Len
Mar 4, 2016, 7:54 PM | Updated: Mar 5, 2016, 3:19 pm
Phoenix Suns center Alex Len (21) goes up for a shot between Orlando Magic center Nikola Vucevic (9) and guard Evan Fournier, right, during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Orlando, Fla., Friday, March 4, 2016. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
(AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Since their last road win, the Phoenix Suns have a new coach and three new players in the starting lineup.
Alex Len scored a career-high 31 points and grabbed 15 rebounds Friday night, and the Suns held the Orlando Magic scoreless for a 7 1/2-minute stretch to snap a 17-game road losing streak, 102-84 Friday night.
Devin Booker and Ronnie Price added 14 points each for Phoenix, which got its first road victory since Dec. 7 at Chicago. The streak tied a franchise record.
“Everyone came in focused tonight, the level of concentration was high. Winning is winning,” Len said. “We had 14 stops in a row. That got us going.”
Elfrid Payton had 19 pints and 11 assists for Orlando, which shot 35 percent against the NBA’s bottom-ranked team in defensive field-goal percentage.
“They were much more physical than us and we never did respond,” Magic coach Scott Skiles said. “Tyson (Chandler), Len, (P.J.) Tucker, Price — those guys, from a physical standpoint, dominated us. It is very disappointing. It is a game we had to have.”
Mirza Teletovic hit two 3-pointers late in the first half to help the Suns take an eight-point lead, the largest of the half for either team.
When Phoenix scored the first nine points of the second half, Skiles replaced all five of his starters, but it didn’t help. Phoenix scored seven more points before Payton scored on a layup with 5:24 left in the third quarter, ending a stretch of 14 straight missed shots by Orlando.
By then the Suns had taken a 24-point lead.
“We locked in on every possession,” said Suns coach Earl Watson, who replaced Jeff Hornacek on Feb. 1. “Tonight what you saw was a glimpse of what we envision being. This was just one step.”
Rookie Mario Hezonja sparked a Magic rally with a long jumper and a couple of 3-pointers, but they could get no closer than 13.
COULD BE WORSE
The Suns have won only twice under Watson but he put it in perspective: “I was in the D League last year taking six-hour bus rides. This is a different deal for me; I’m excited to fly on a plane again from city to city.”
TIP-INS
Suns: Len’s previous career high was 23 points. … The Suns scored half of their 44 second-half points from the foul line. … Len who averages 8.4 points, scored in double figures for the seventh straight game.
Magic: G Victor Oladipo was out with a lower back contusion. … F Evan Fournier had missed the preceding three games with a sore right wrist. . . Payton had 13 points and four assists in the first quarter, figuring in 22 of the team’s 29 points.
UP NEXT
The Suns visit Memphis on Sunday.
