Suns 111 - 106 Hornets
Final
  for this game

Suns rally from 17 down to beat Hornets

Dec 18, 2014 - 7:04 AM Charlotte, NC (SportsNetwork.com) - Isaiah Thomas scored 23 points off the bench and the Phoenix Suns rallied from 17 down to beat the Charlotte Hornets 111-106 on Wednesday night, snapping a six-game losing streak.

The Suns took their first lead since the first quarter on Eric Bledsoe's layup with under two minutes remaining in the game after Goran Dragic won the ball on a steal.

Later, Thomas' free throws made it a three-point game with 19.9 seconds left and P.J. Tucker blocked Kemba Walker's 3-point try at the other end. Walker recovered the ball and passed to Gary Neal, but he missed an off-balance 3.

Tucker's foul shots with 5.6 seconds left sealed the win, ending Phoenix's longest losing streak since a 10-game slide from March 20-April 9, 2013.

"When you've lost six games in a row and you get down 15 or 18 points, however many we were down, that's an easy time to quit," said Suns coach Jeff Hornacek. "But our guys didn't quit, they kept playing and playing."

Dragic had 20 points, including 16 in the first half. Gerald Green scored 16 off the bench and Bledsoe added 15 in the victory.

Al Jefferson had 28 points and 10 rebounds to lead Charlotte and Walker scored 27.

The Hornets, who led by 17 in the first quarter, are 2-14 since beating the Suns in Phoenix on Nov. 14 to snap a five-game losing streak in the series.

That remains their only win in 12 games against Western Conference teams this season.

Jefferson scored 18 of the Hornets' 31 points in the first quarter and they opened the second with a 19-6 run to take their 17-point lead.

The Suns responded with an 11-2 flurry spearheaded by Thomas and Dragic and managed to trim the lead to seven at halftime. They trailed 87-83 going into the fourth quarter.

"It started when they went small in the second quarter," Hornets coach Steve Clifford said of his team's loss. "The last three minutes they outworked us and we couldn't keep up."

Game Notes

Hornets guard Lance Stephenson was helped off the court in the third quarter with what the team called a groin contusion he suffered crashing to the floor on a layup. He re-entered the game midway through the fourth and finished with seven points ... The Hornets play the 76ers in Philadelphia on Friday ... The Suns continue a three-game road trip on Saturday against the New York Knicks.






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