Suns Stay Hot by Beating Bobcats

105

95

The Suns are leaving the "surprising" label behind and treading dangerously close to "scary" to their opponents.

Back home after a flawless four-game road trip, the Suns continued their midseason tear through the schedule by beating the Bobcats 105-95. They've now won seven of their last eight games, vaulting their record to 29-18.

No Phoenix player played more than 28 minutes. Such heavy playing time wasn't needed, not on a night that saw the Suns lead by as many as 27. Every active roster player played and scored, though none did more so than the red-hot Goran Dragic, who finished with a game-high 25 points.

Charlotte entered the game on a two-game winning streak behind the recent good play of Al Jefferson, who averaged more than 23 points and 11 rebounds in the month of January.

The Suns contained the Bobcats big man with a stable-full of defenders, including Miles Plumlee (11 rebounds), Channing Frye, Markieff Morris (13 points, nine rebounds) and Alex Len.

The result: Jefferson shot just 4-of-15 from the field on his way to 10 poins and six rebounds.

Phoenix led the entire way while shooting 48.8 percent from the field and 87 percent from the foul line (20-of-23).

Charlotte had cut a double-digit lead to nine midway through the second quarter when Dragic, Plumlee and Gerald Green re-entered the game.

The three combined with Markieff and Marcus Morris to finish the half on a 9-0 run. Marcus scored the first five and Dragic the last four, while the team forced the Bobcats to miss their final nine shots of the half and commit two turnovers.

Big numbers usually come in big minutes, but that hasn't been the case for Goran Dragic recently.

The sixth-year guard played just 27 minutes, but did more than enough damage in that time to rest the entire fourth quarter: 25 points on 10-of-14 shooting, five rebounds and four assists.

2 - the number of minutes Phoenix has trailed over the last four games