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Suns pull away from Knicks at MSG

Dec 20, 2014 - 11:50 PM New York, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - Isaiah Thomas scored nine of his 22 points in the fourth quarter to help the Phoenix Suns pull away from the New York Knicks in their 99-90 victory at Madison Square Garden on Saturday afternoon.

Eric Bledsoe posted a double-double with 25 points and 10 rebounds while Markieff Morris chipped in with 19 points for the Suns, winners of two straight following a six-game slide.

Carmelo Anthony returned to the Knicks' lineup after missing Thursday's loss in Chicago and netted 25 points on 9-of-19 shooting. He also pulled down 11 boards, but it was not enough as New York fell for the 14th time in 15 games.

Jose Calderon added 21 points but netted just two in a fourth quarter that saw the Knicks get outscored by 10.

An Alex Len tip-in early in the fourth capped an 11-0 Suns run that gave Phoenix a 75-68 lead. The Knicks answered with six straight points to pull within one but never went back ahead.

A pair of emphatic Samuel Dalembert dunks energized the MSG crowd, but a Morris jumper and Thomas 3-pointer stretched Phoenix's cushion to 95-86 with 1:34 to play.

"When my name is called I take advantage of my opportunity," Thomas said. "I just try to make plays."

Anthony was whistled for an offensive foul at the other end, and Phoenix held on from there.

"It's going to take winning a game down the stretch to get that confidence back," Anthony said.

The Suns led by 11 early on but let the lead slip away less than three minutes into the second quarter.

New York scored six of the first seven points to take a 27-25 advantage and went into the break holding a 47-44 edge.

Neither team led by more than five in the third frame, which ended with the hosts clinging to a 68-67 lead.

Game Notes

The Suns pulled back to .500 (14-14) on the season ... The Knicks were without center Amar'e Stoudemire (rest) and guard J.R. Smith, who missed a sixth straight game with a partially torn left plantar fascia ... The Suns are 6-1 on the road against the Eastern Conference this season ... New York shot 39.8 percent from the field.