National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Phoenix 99, New York 90
When: 1:00 PM ET, Saturday, December 20, 2014
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Officials: #11 Lauren Holtkamp, #24 Mike Callahan, #54 Nick Buchert
Attendance: 19812

Suns 99, Knicks 90: Eric Bledsoe scored 13 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter and grabbed 10 rebounds as visiting Phoenix poured more misery on New York.

Isaiah Thomas added 22 points off the bench for the Suns, who went 19-of-23 from the free-throw line. Markieff Morris tallied 19 points and Goran Dragic had 10 for Phoenix, which climbed back to the .500 mark with its second consecutive win.

Carmelo Anthony returned from a one-game absence to record 25 points and 11 rebounds for the Knicks, who have lost 14 of their last 15 games. Jose Calderon chipped in with 21 points and Tim Hardaway Jr. had 16 for New York, which could not survive 39.8 percent shooting from the floor.

Bledsoe took over in the final five minutes as he converted a three-point play before sinking a pair of free throws and scoring inside to put the Suns ahead 89-84. Thomas ended any hopes of a comeback with a 3-point dagger to put the Suns on top 95-86 with 1:34 left as the Knicks fell to their seventh straight defeat at Madison Square Garden.

Morris scored eight straight points to even the score at 54 midway through the third quarter before Anthony and Calderon knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers to put the Knicks in front 66-61. Thomas and Marcus Morris each drilled a triple during an 8-0 spurt to give the Suns a 73-68 lead early in the fourth quarter before Hardaway Jr.'s basket closed the gap to one.

GAME NOTEBOOK: The Suns went 10-of-25 from 3-point range while the Knicks finished 7-of- 22. …Thomas has scored 20 or more points in his last three outings. … New York SG J.R. Smith sat out his sixth straight game with a foot injury while F Amar'e Stoudemire was given a rest day.
Top Game Performances
 
Phoenix   New York
Eric Bledsoe 25 Scoring Carmelo Anthony 25
Eric Bledsoe 3 Assists Pablo Prigioni 7
Eric Bledsoe 10 Rebounds Samuel Dalembert 12
Eric Bledsoe 8 Free Throws Made Carmelo Anthony 6
Eric Bledsoe 3 Steals Carmelo Anthony 3
Alex Len 3 Blocks Cole Aldrich 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Phoenix 99 44.9 10-25 19-23 15 43 3 10 16
New York 90 39.8 7-22 13-16 17 45 4 11 15
Upcoming Games
  • New York will play their next game on the road against Toronto. The Knicks have a W/L % of .200 after a win and .167 after a loss.
  • Phoenix will play their next game on the road against Washington. The Suns have a W/L % of .571 after a win and .429 after a loss.