The Sports Xchange
Nov 19, 2017
PHOENIX -- TJ Warren scored nine of his 27 points in the fourth quarter, and Phoenix bench contributed 50 points in the Suns' 113-105 win over the Chicago Bulls on Sunday night.
Devin Booker had 15 points and reserves Mike James and Troy Daniels combined for 29 as the Suns (7-11) won their second straight and beat the Bulls for the third time in the past four tries.
The Suns had a season-high 32 assists, with five players recording at least four.
Rookie Lauri Markkanen had career-high 26 points and added 13 rebounds for Chicago, which missed a chance to win back-to-back games for the first time this season. Kris Dunn had 17 points, and Robin Lopez added 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Chicago (3-11) was within 91-90 on a Dunn jumper with 9:36 left. However, the Suns gained control thanks to a 17-7 run, with Warren scoring the final six on two jumpers and a put-back dunk that made it 108-97 Phoenix with 3:07 left.
The Bulls, who scored a season-high 40 points in the fourth quarter of a win over the Charlotte Hornets on Friday, picked right up offensively with 37 first-quarter points against the Suns. Lopez had 10 points and five rebounds and Markkanen had seven of his 16 first-half points as the Bulls closed out the quarter with a 10-4 run to take a 37-30 lead.
The second quarter, though, was all Suns. They held the Bulls to 19 points and took the lead with a 10-0 run. Warren had eight of his 12 first-half points and capped the run with a layup to give the Suns a 54-48 lead with 2:42 left.
Phoenix, who tied their previous season high with 28 assists in a win at the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday, had 18 assists on 25 baskets to lead 61-56 at the half.
The Suns stretched their lead to as many as eight in the third quarter before the Bulls rallied with an 18-5 run and took an 84-79 edge on a Bobby Portis 7-footer with 2:17. But Daniels and Josh Jackson each had 3-pointers in the final 1:08 of the third, and Phoenix took an 85-84 lead to the fourth quarter.
NOTES: Bulls F Nikola Mirotic, out since Oct. 17 with a concussion and maxillary fractures, is being fitted with a mask, although there is still no target date for his return, coach Fred Hoiberg said. ... Chicago G Zach LaVine, who has missed the first 14 games rehabbing his left knee, is on track to practice for the first time Monday, when the Bulls are in Los Angeles to play the Lakers. ... Suns G Devin Booker has 30 or more points in seven of his first 17 games this season. Going into Sunday, only Kristaps Porzingis of the Knicks had more (eight). ... F Lauri Markkanen scored 192 points in his first 13 career games, the most by a Bulls rookie since Derrick Rose (245) in 2008-09.