Atlanta, GA (SportsNetwork.com) - Gerald Green scored nine of his 13 points in the fourth quarter and the Phoenix Suns defeated the Atlanta Hawks, 102-95, on Monday night.
Eric Bledsoe tallied 20 points, six rebounds and four assists, while Goran Dragic added 19 points and six assists for the Suns, who have won four in a row and six of their last seven.
"I didn't think we were playing all that great. We were kind of just playing, then in the third quarter we came out and really got after it defensively," Suns head coach Jeff Hornacek said.
DeMarre Carroll and Paul Millsap put in 19 points apiece for Atlanta, which has dropped three consecutive tilts on the heels of a five-game winning streak.
"Defensively we had three good quarters. They got away from us in the third quarter," Hawks head coach Mike Budenholzer said.
The game was tied 59-59 midway through the third quarter before Phoenix seized control of the contest with a 10-2 run. Channing Frye had five points during the surge, which he capped with a 3-pointer for a 69-61 advantage late in the third.
The Suns, who outscored Atlanta 35-23 in the third, headed into the final frame with a 77-68 spread.
Mike Scott finished off a quick 6-0 spurt with a layup to pull the Hawks within 81-77 with 8:44 left, but they never got any closer. Green netted seven points during a 9-3 Phoenix swing a few minutes later and his trey staked the Suns to a 92-82 margin with 5:14 remaining.
Earlier, Frye hit a pair of triples, while Dragic and Bledsoe also knocked down one apiece as the Suns raced out to a 15-7 start five minutes in. Atlanta rallied with a 12-4 run to tie the game at 23-23 before heading into the second with a 25-23 edge.
Atlanta led 45-42 at the break.
Game Notes
Frye had 18 points and seven rebounds ... The Suns shot 51.4 percent (38- of-74) from the floor and 50 percent (12-of-24) from beyond the arc ... Phoenix recorded 22 points off 17 Atlanta turnovers.
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