The Phoenix Suns closed on an 9-0 run to pull out a 120-113 win Sunday over the Charlotte Hornets at Footprint Center in the second of a back-to-back.
Winners of their last three games, the Suns (19-19) evened up their record for the first time since Dec. 27 when they were 15-15.
Devin Booker scored a game-high 30 points, Kevin Durant posted 27 and Bradley Beal added 15.
Suns rookie Oso Ighodaro gave Phoenix the lead on a dunk off a Durant assist with 1:22 left. Royce O’Neale followed that up with a 3 to extend the lead to five with 41.5 seconds left.
O’Neale missed the six previous games with a left ankle sprain.
The Suns avenged a 115-104 loss to the Hornets (8-28) last week in Charlotte.
Phoenix next heads out on a five-game road trip, starting Tuesday at Atlanta at 5:30 p.m. MST.
Suns lose Allen to left knee soreness, down after three quarters
The Phoenix Suns lost Grayson Allen with left knee soreness as they trail 98-93 to the 8-win Charlotte Hornets going into the fourth quarter.
Allen didn’t come out for the second half after scoring 10 of his 13 points in the third quarter in helping Phoenix come back from a 12-point deficit.
The Suns came into the game without Jusuf Nurkic due to illness, but they did back Royce O’Neale, who has missed six straight games with a left ankle sprain.
The Hornets continue to punish the Suns on the offensive glass with 13 offensive boards that’s led to 23 Charlotte points.
Devin Booker has 27 points to lead the Suns while Kevin Durant has 19. The Suns have slowed down Mark Williams, who has just two of his 24 points in the third quarter, but LaMelo Ball has 21 points.
Suns, Hornets tied at halftime, 62-62
The Suns and Hornets were even at the half, 62-62, at Footprint Center.
Phoenix came back from 12 points down to take a six-point lead as Grayson Allen scored 10 of his 13 points in the second quarter. Hitting 3-of-6 from 3, Allen had a four-point play to give the Suns their first lead of the game, 57-56, with 2:11 left in the half.
The Suns increased their lead to 62-56 on an Allen 3 with 52.5 seconds left, but Charlotte closed the half on a 6-0 run. LaMelo Ball capped the run with two free throws as Bradley Beal fouled him with 1.8 seconds left in the half.
Beal leads the Suns with 14 points in the first half Sunday while Devin Booker and Allen each have 13.
Hornets big Mark Williams continues to feast on the Suns, posting 22 points and 13 rebounds in the first half. In his third season out of Duke, Williams has three double-doubles this season.
Charlotte has 11 offensive rebounds that’s resulted in 18 points in the first half. The Suns are without Jusuf Nurkic due to illness as Mike Budenholzer didn’t play him the previous two games.
Nurkic’s last game was last week at Charlotte. The Suns allowed 20 offensive rebounds, which led to 19 Charlotte points in their loss to the Hornets.
Budenholzer replaced Bradley Beal and Nurkic in the starting lineup with Ryan Dunn and Mason Plumlee beginning in last week’s game at Philadelphia.
Suns trail after one to LaMelo Ball, Hornets
The Charlotte Hornets started fast in building a double-digit lead in the first quarter and taking a 34-28 advantage at the end of the first quarter.
The Suns fell behind by as many as 12 points in the first quarter.
LaMelo Ball and Mark Williams each have nine points to lead the Hornets, who beat the Suns last week in Charlotte.
Bradley Beal has 10 points off the bench to lead the Suns.
Suns sticking with new lineup, Beal coming off the bench
The one loss came against Charlotte in the second of a back-to-back to end a three-game road trip.
The Suns are starting Tyus Jones, Devin Booker, rookie Ryan Dunn, Kevin Durant and Mason Plumlee for a fourth straight game. The Suns are 2-1 with this lineup since Suns coach Mike Budenholzer benched Bradley Beal and Jusuf Nurkic and replaced them in the lineup with Dunn and Plumlee.
Beal is averaging 18 points in his four games off the bench. The three-time All-Star hadn’t come off the bench since his fourth NBA season in 2015-16 before this recent stretch.
The Hornets are starting LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, Josh Green, Miles Bridges and Mark Williams. Ball scored posted 32 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists in the win for the Hornets.
Injury update: Nurkic out, O’Neale in
Phoenix Suns are getting Royce O’Neale back from a left ankle sprain that sidelined him six games, but they won’t have Jusuf Nurkic for Sunday’s game against Charlotte due to illness.
Suns coach Mike Budenholzer said Nurkic wasn’t feeling well Sunday morning. After a series of tests, the Suns concluded Nurkic has the flu.
Budenholzer added that Nurkic likely won’t be with the team for the start of a five-game road trip that begins Tuesday at Atlanta because he’s contagious, but hopes he’s able to join the team during the trip.
Have opinions about the current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-810-5518. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Suns-Hornets live updates: Phoenix ends on 9-0 run, top Charlotte in comeback
