NEW YORK — The Phoenix Suns defeated the New York Knicks 106-99 on Saturday for their first win of their six-game road trip.
A back-and-forth battle for the majority of the game, both teams had to whether each other’s large runs but BLANK came away victorious, pulling away late. Devin Booker returned from his ankle injury to lead the team in scoring but the victory was a team effort, with six players scoring in double figures. Dillon Brooks had one of his worst shooting nights of the year but it did
not matter.
New York’s first game back from a four-game road trip, Knicks fans were loud but the Suns played loud when it mattered most, a contrast from their performances late against the Miami Heat and Detroit Pistons earlier this week.
Now 25-17 on the year, the Suns snap their losing streak at two with the second of their Eastern Conference road trip pending.
Game Flow
First Half
The Knicks struck first, going ahead 13-6 and forcing Jordan Ott to take a timeout less than four minutes into the game. Karl-Anthony Towns had it going early for New York. Over the next six minutes, scoring was limited with both teams scoring just a combined 17 points. Only four different Suns scored as the score at the end of 12 minutes was 27-19 New York.
In the first quarter, Devin Booker passed a Phoenix Suns legend in the NBA all-time scorer list.
The Suns went on a 17-4 run to start the second and take their first lead since early in the first and the team played more balanced on offense. The Knicks responded with a run of their own to retake the lead thanks in large part to their hot three point shooting; they hit 63% of their first 13 triples.
After a flurry of runs from both teams, the squads exchanged baskets to end the second half. New York led 56-55 at the break. The two teams’ splits at the half were similar. Phoenix shot 43.9% from the field and 39.1% from three, while New York shot 42.9% from the field and 42.1% from three.
Second Half
The third quarter was 12 minutes of runs by both teams. Phoenix went on a 10-3 run to go up six which was followed by a 16-0 run by New York to give them a 10-point lead. Madison Square Garden was loud and the Knicks fans were roaring.
When the Suns stopped the Knicks run, they finished the quarter on a 13-0 run to end the third, capped off by Devin Booker’s And-one with 0.3 seconds left in the frame. Jordan Goodwin’s effort and quick five-point scoring burst was pivotal.
A slow start to the final quarter, the game started to slow down in its final moment, Collin Gillespie took control of the first half of the fourth, hitting shots and organizing the offense. Phoenix was playing better late than they did against the Pistons and Heat in their previous two games.
Relying mostly on the starters and Grayson Allen, Phoenix pulled away late, avoiding a small scare at the end when New York cut it to five.
Up Next
The Suns will stay in New York City and face the Brooklyn Nets on Monday in the first half of a back-to-back.
