Suns rally past Nets in battle of playoff bubble teams
If the Brooklyn Nets fall a game short of a playoff berth come April, they're going to remember Friday's stinging loss to the Phoenix Suns.
The Nets had a 15-point lead with less than six minutes remaining in regulation before the Suns closed the fourth quarter on a 16-1 run, with Phoenix eventually pulling away in overtime for a 108-100 victory.
With the win, their second straight, the Suns closed to within 1.5 games of eighth-place Oklahoma City in the Western Conference standings, while Brooklyn fell 1.5 games behind the eighth-place Indiana Pacers in the East standings.
Eric Bledsoe led the way for Phoenix with 19 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and two steals, while Markieff and Marcus Morris combined for 38 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and six steals. Marcus replaced P.J. Tucker and joined his twin brother in the starting lineup.
All five Nets reserves finished in double figures, but the bench's effort wasn't enough to undo the damage done by the team's starters, who combined for only 38 points on 14-of-42 (33 percent) shooting.
Deron Williams, especially, struggled in the loss, posting nine points and nine assists on 2-of-16 shooting.