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Suns take down Celtics

Mar 15, 2014 - 4:05 AM Boston, MA (SportsNetwork.com) - Goran Dragic had 20 points in the Phoenix Suns' 87-80 victory over the Boston Celtics on Friday.

Eric Bledsoe added 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Suns, who snapped a three-game skid. Markieff Morris tallied 15 points and nine boards and P.J. Tucker donated 11 points, 10 rebounds and five steals.

"I think so this season is much better for me because it's my second year as a starter so I know what I have to do and what I have to expect from the 82 games," Dragic said.

Kris Humphries ended with 11 points and 13 boards for the Celtics, who have lost three in a row. Chris Johnson also had 11 points.

Boston's Jeff Green made two free throws with 2:02 left to make it 80-80, but the Suns scored the final seven points of the game.

Alex Len sparked the decisive spurt with a three-point play. Morris' slam and a layup by Dragic capped the flurry. The Celtics missed three shots from beyond the arc in the final 38.9 seconds.

"We didn't play with any poise. That was probably the biggest thing. They executed pretty well," Celtics coach Brad Stevens said.

Earlier, the Suns held a 38-27 lead with 8 1/2 minutes left in the second quarter.

But the Celtics responded with a 17-6 run to tie the game. Channing Frye made two free throws with 25.4 seconds left to make it 46-44 Phoenix at the half.

The Suns took a 64-60 lead into the fourth stanza.

Boston scored the first nine points of the fourth to take a 69-64 lead. Phoenix came back with six straight points to go back in front.

Game Notes

The Suns went 2-0 against the Celtics this season ... Boston guard Avery Bradley returned to the lineup after missing 13 games with an ankle injury ... Phoenix started a three-game road trip on Friday ... Boston shot 30.9 percent from the floor and went 3-of-21 from beyond the arc.