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Suns down Bobcats to end four-game skid

Nov 23, 2013 - 4:32 AM Charlotte, NC (SportsNetwork.com) - Channing Frye made 5-of-7 from behind the arc en route to 20 points to lead the Phoenix Suns to a 98-91 win over the Charlotte Bobcats on Friday.

P.J. Tucker made all six of his shots for 17 points for Phoenix, which gained the lead late in the first quarter and never relinquished it despite a late push by the home team.

"I'll take a win but that was pretty sketchy at the end," said Frye. "We're young and still trying to figure it out, but winning is winning and I'll take that any day of the week."

The Bobcats trailed by as many as 21 points early in the fourth quarter but a late 12-1 surge made it 96-91 before time ran out on the comeback effort.

"For 44 minutes we played really well," said Phoenix head coach Jeff Hornacek. "Guys were helping each other out, we were moving the ball."

Goran Dragic and Gerald Green scored 14 points apiece and Markieff Morris tallied 11 points and nine rebounds off the bench as the Suns climbed back to .500 after dropping four in a row.

Gerald Henderson's 17 points paced Charlotte in the losing effort. Kemba Walker and Ramon Sessions netted 16 and 15 points, respectively.

"We're not going to win games if we have 18 turnovers," said Bobcats head coach Steve Clifford. "If we're low turnover, we're going to have a chance to win."

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist scored five of his nine points in the opening moments to boost Charlotte to a 9-4 lead. The hosts held their edge until Marcus Morris scored four straight to tie the score at 24-24 with 35 seconds left in the first. Frye's 3 with 2.3 seconds showing had Phoenix in front for the first time.

Frye opened the second period the same way he ended the first, nailing a deep trey on the initial possession. His long ball midway through the frame made it a 44-34 game.

Charlotte shot 0-for-4 from deep in the first half and trailed 55-44 at the break.

The Suns led by double figures for most of the third. They scored the first 10 points of the fourth to extend the lead to 84-63.

Game Notes

Phoenix made 10-of-23 (43.5 percent) from 3-point range while Charlotte made just 3-of-14 (21.4 percent) ... Al Jefferson scored a season-low nine points for the Bobcats ... The Bobcats outscored the Suns 48-26 in the paint ... Phoenix heads to Orlando on Sunday for the middle test of a three-game road trip.