Suns hold off Hawks to earn third straight win
Jae Crowder #99 of the Phoenix Suns celebrates with fans after hitting a three-point shot against the Atlanta Hawks during the second half of the NBA game at Phoenix Suns Arena on March 30, 2021 in Phoenix, Arizona. Christian Petersen/Getty Images/AFP
Jae Crowder’s four-point play with 23.4 seconds remaining in the game helped the Phoenix Suns repel visiting Atlanta’s second-half comeback bid and secure a 117-110 win over the Hawks on Tuesday.
Crowder scored 19 points and made five 3-pointers to prevent the Suns from blowing a 16-point advantage. The game was tied 105-105 with 3:09 remaining when the Suns outscored the Hawks 12-5 the rest of the way, with Crowder’s 3-pointer and field goal the clinching points.
Article continues after this advertisementThe Suns have won three straight and six of their last seven games. The Hawks have lost two straight and four of their last five.
Jae Crowder's 4-point play seals it for the @Suns! pic.twitter.com/ezTe7nisoF
— NBA (@NBA) March 31, 2021
Phoenix was led by Devin Booker with 21 points and Dario Saric came off the bench to score 20 points, ending an eight-game stretch where had been limited to single digits. Deandre Ayton had 13 points, including the go-ahead bucket with 2:06 left, and 14 rebounds.
Article continues after this advertisementAtlanta was led by Bogdan Bogdanovic with 22 points and Trae Young with 19 points and 13 assists. Clint Capela had 16 points and 16 rebounds.
The Hawks played the second half without forward John Collins, who had nine points and four rebounds before spraining his left ankle and leaving with 1:08 left in the first half. Collins stepped on Capela’s foot as he was taking a rebound.
The Suns raced out to a 21-11 lead, but the Hawks came back to tie the game at 27-27 on a 3-pointer from Kevin Huerter at 1:16. That’s when Phoenix took control and went on an 18-2 run, taking a 45-29 lead on a 3-pointer from Saric with 8:30 left. The Suns led 64-52 at halftime.
Despite the absence of Collins and with Young on the bench with four fouls, the Hawks pecked away at the lead. They trailed 89-85 after three quarters but tied the game at 103-103 on a pair of free throws by Young with 3:31 left.
Phoenix continues its three-game homestand on Wednesday against Chicago. Atlanta plays the seventh game of its eight-game road trip on Thursday at San Antonio.
