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Suns 94, Pelicans 88
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsUpdated15 Oct 2021
NEW ORLEANS — Guards Gerald Green and Goran Dragic combined for 41 points and guard Eric Bledsoe scored all 16 of his points in the second half to lift the Phoenix Suns to a 94-88 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans Wednesday night at the Smoothie King Center.
In sweeping the Pelicans for the first time since 2006-07, the Suns (47-31) scored the game’s final seven points. Bledsoe gave Phoenix the lead for good, 89-88, pump-faking guard Austin Rivers into a flop and hitting a 20-footer with 1:52 left. Green led the Suns with 21 and Dragic added 20.
The Suns have won nine of their last 11 games.
The New Orleans bench accounted for 53 points, led by reserve center Jeff Withey with a career-high 17 points. But the Pelicans (32-46), playing without forward Anthony Davis, dropped their sixth straight game.
Held scoreless in the first half, Bledsoe broke out for 12 points in a 24-18 third quarter to help the Suns expand their lead to 71-64. The Suns missed their first seven shots of the quarter and trailed 50-47 before Bledsoe caught fire, hitting five of six shots in a 5:29 span to put Phoenix up 67-57.
When Green nailed a 3-pointer from the right baseline to open the fourth quarter, the Suns led 74-64. Trailing 79-72, the Pelicans ran off 10 consecutive points, culminating in guard Anthony Morrow’s transition 3-pointer, to regain the lead, 82-79, with 5:37 left.
The Suns held the Pelicans to a season-low 14 points in the first quarter, with the Pelicans shooting five of 24 from the floor. The backcourt of forward Tyreke Evans, guard Brian Roberts and Rivers was a combined 1-for-12.
Phoenix led 23-14 at the end of the first, but the Suns allowed the Pelicans back in the game with a 32-24 second quarter in which New Orleans made 14 of 18 shots (77.8 percent). The Pelicans cut into the lead with a 12-2 run at the beginning of the period, and they trailed 47-46 at halftime.
Dragic scored nine of his 14 first-half points in the first quarter, and the Suns repeatedly beat the Pelicans in transition, outscoring New Orleans 15-3 on the fast break.
Withey, who has played increasing minutes in the final month, led the Pelicans with 10 first-half points in 10 minutes. Forward Darius Miller also had 10.
NOTES: Pelicans PF Anthony Davis was held out of Wednesday night’s game because of recurring back spasms. Coach Monty Williams is not prepared to say whether or not Williams will sit out the rest of the season. “We don’t know yet,” Williams said. “He just (isn’t) improving at the rate we felt he should. He’s had back spasms for a week. That’s a different deal. When a guy wants to play but he’s not improving, you put him out on the floor and that could make it worse.” … Suns G Gerald Green had flu-like symptoms on Tuesday but played against the Pelicans. … The Suns entered the game one full game behind Dallas for the eighth playoff spot in the West. “It’s been crazy,” Suns coach Jeff Hornacek said. “This has been going on, it seems like, for the past two months. One team thinks they’re out of it, then they go on a five-game winning streak and they’re back in the race.”
