 Jacque Vaughn finally found the range, but the rest of the Hawks couldn't. Barry Gossage/NBAE/Getty Images 56k | 300k |
Marion made 10-of-13 shots from the floor and scored six points during a 10-0 third-quarter run Phoenix used to build a 67-49 lead. Tom Gugliotta scored the other four points during the spurt and finished with 12 on 6-of-9 shooting.
The Hawks never got closer than 15 points thereafter and suffered their 18th straight road loss dating to February 18. They are 0-9 all-time at America West Arena and are winless in Phoenix since November 15, 1991.
Tony Delk and Jake Tsakalidis scored 15 points apiece for the Suns, who shot 51 percent (45-of-88) and led throughout.
Penny Hardaway, who led Phoenix in scoring in each of the last four games, managed just 13 points on 5-of-15 shooting.
Jason Terry, Atlanta's leading scorer last season, sat out a second straight game with a strained hamstring. All-Star center Theo Ratliff is sidelined with a hip flexor and forward Toni Kukoc is also on the injured list.
Dion Glover picked up the slack for Terry with a career-high 22 points on 9-of-17 shooting. Chris Crawford and DerMarr Johnson each chipped in 10 points.
"I was just aggressive taking the ball to the basket and playing to my strengths," said Glover, who also had six rebounds. "I am just talking advantage of my opportunity. With JT out, it was my night tonight, but unfortunately we lost."
Shareef Abdur-Rahim had just five points on 2-of-12 shooting but grabbed 10 rebounds. Nazr Mohammed had eight points and nine rebounds but made just 3-of-10 shots.
"(Abdur-Rahim) got in a little bit of foul trouble early but I was trying to limit his touches," Gugliotta said. "He's tough once he gets the ball. I figured my best chance was to make him work for it. He didn't get too many touches and when he did he missed his shots because he wasn't in a rhythm."
"We need to collectively step up and take some pressure off him," Atlanta coach Lon Kruger said. "The guys came off the bench and did a nice job. You've got to search for bright spots."
The Hawks shot 37 percent (30-of-81) and committed 20 turnovers, leading to 23 points for the Suns.
"We came to play on the defensive end," Phoenix coach Scott Skiles said. "That translated into some early offense and some good looks the whole game."
Atlanta's Jacque Vaughn, who had made just 1-of-27 shots this season, scored eight points on 3-of-5 shooting and dished out six assists.
Phoenix shot 52 percent (12-of-23) in the first quarter and took advantage of five turnovers to build a 30-19 lead. Marion had seven points and five rebounds in the opening 12 minutes and Marbury also scored seven.
Glover scored eight points as Atlanta opened the second quarter with a 17-7 run. Cal Bowdler scored five points during the spurt and brought the Hawks within 37-36 with a layup with 5:40 left.
But the Suns scored 10 of the next 13 points and took a seven-point lead into haftime as Marbury sank a 3-pointer from half-court.
Phoenix made 7-of-15 3-pointers led by Delk, who drained 3-of-5 from the arc.