Final
Suns edge Nuggets
Dec 21, 2013 - 6:11 AM Denver, CO (SportsNetwork.com) - Phoenix overcame a sluggish start and got a huge boost from its bench as the Suns left Denver with a 103-99 win over the Nuggets.Markieff Morris filled the stat sheet off the bench with 25 points, six rebounds, three steals and three blocks for Phoenix, which trailed by as many as 21 points late in the first half. Gerald Green made six 3-pointers en route to 19 points, and Marcus Morris netted 14.
"We never quit. We came out and fought all the way to the end," Markieff Morris said. "It's a great feeling."
The Suns' reserves outscored Denver's bench, 64-34.
Goran Dragic was one of just two Phoenix starters in double figures with 17 points. The Suns have won six of seven.
Wilson Chandler led a balanced Denver attack with 15 points. Randy Foye dropped 14, while Ty Lawson and J.J. Hickson scored 13 points apiece. Hickson added 14 rebounds while Lawson handed out seven assists.
Denver led 82-72 after three quarters but quickly saw its lead evaporate. Marcus Morris knocked down a triple three minutes into the frame and Ish Smith's transition layup made it 88-88 at 8:21.
Dragic broke a 97-all tie with two free throws, which he followed up with a difficult layup for a four-point margin with less than a minute to play.
Hickson's thunderous dunk on a feed from Lawson on the other end cut it to two, and Eric Bledsoe split a pair at the line for a 102-99 Phoenix advantage.
Denver, without a timeout, rushed the ball up the floor and Lawson found a wide open Foye at the top of the key, but his trey was off the mark. Markieff Morris came down with the board and hit 1-of-2 from the foul line to seal it for the Suns.
"It's tough to swallow," Nuggets head coach Brian Shaw said of his team blowing a 21-point lead. "We shot ourselves in the foot."
Earlier, Denver came out of the gates hot, leading 28-20 after 12 minutes and 62-48 at halftime. Foye's 3 had the Nuggets up 60-39 before the Suns closed the first half on a 9-2 run.
Game Notes
The Nuggets fell to 1-3 in their last four games ... Denver won the rebounding margin, 53-44 ... The Nuggets scored 52 points in the paint.
Dec 20 11:29 PM- PHOENIX: 103
DENVER: 102
End of Regulation
Dec 20 11:28 PM - PHOENIX: 72
DENVER: 82
End of 3rd
Dec 20 10:52 PM - PHOENIX: 48
DENVER: 62
Halftime
Dec 20 10:07 PM - PHOENIX: 20
DENVER: 28
End of 1st
Dec 20 9:33 PM - PHOENIX: 2
DENVER: 0
1st Quarter - 11:42
Dec 20 9:09 PM
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