Chicago, IL – Luis Scola led the way with 22 points while Michael Beasley added 20, as Phoenix Suns snapped a 12-game road losing streak with an unlikely 97-81 victory over the Chicago Bulls at United Center.
Sebastian Telfair chipped in 13 points off the bench and Shannon Brown netted 11 for the Suns, who held Chicago to 36 percent shooting to earn their first win as the visitor since Nov. 27 at Cleveland.
"For the first time in a long time I thought we played well for four quarters," Suns coach Alvin Gentry said.
Luol Deng, one day after scoring a season-high 33 points in a win over the Knicks, was held to 13 on 5-of-16 shooting in the loss. Carlos Boozer posted 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Joakim Noah totaled 10 and 13 in a losing cause.
"Every team has great players. This is the NBA, so you just have to be ready every night," Bulls forward Jimmy Butler said. "I feel like anybody can be beat by anybody."
The Bulls led, 21-20, after a tightly-played first quarter before Beasley came off the bench and sparked the Suns with 14 points in the second frame.
Beasley's bucket in the closing seconds of the half gave Phoenix a 49-42 edge, and Telfair beat the third-quarter buzzer with a 3-pointer for a 77-63 cushion heading to the fourth.
Telfair again hit from long range during a 7-0 run early in the fourth that gave Phoenix its largest lead, 84-65, and the visitors ran away with it from there to snap a five-game losing skid overall.
Game Notes
The Suns earned the 2,000th win in franchise history, becoming the fourth fastest in NBA history to do so behind Boston, the Lakers and Philadelphia ... The Bulls, who went 26-7 at home last season, fell to 10-10 as the host ... Chicago had won four straight meetings against Phoenix.
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