Bledsoe scores 31 as Suns top Knicks in OT
PHOENIX -- Eric Bledsoe scored 16 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter and overtime as the Phoenix Suns recovered from blowing a 14-point third-quarter lead to beat the New York Knicks 113-111 on Tuesday.
Bledsoe has three straight games with 30 points, making him the first Sun to accomplish that since Amar'e Stoudemire in March 2010. Bledsoe added eight assists and six rebounds, and he made all 12 free throws.
Tyson Chandler tallied 13 points and a season-high 23 rebounds for the Suns. Marquese Chriss and Brandon Knight added 14 points each for Phoenix (8-17), which gave back a 15-point, second-half lead here Sunday in a loss to the New Orleans Pelicans.
Kristaps Porzingis scored 34 points for New York, one shy of his career high, but fouled out with 1:34 left in overtime, just after giving the Knicks a 108-105 lead with his fourth 3-pointer of the game.
Kyle O'Quinn recorded 22 points and 14 rebounds for the Knicks (14-11), who had won six of their last seven -- four straight on the road.
The Knicks lost guard Derrick Rose in the first period to back spasms.
Carmelo Anthony was 3-for-15 and scored 13 points in 39 minutes.
The Suns led 85-71 with 1:06 left in the third quarter but let the lead get away and trailed 101-95 with 2:57 left. They tied the game at 101 on two Chandler free throws with 1:46 left and the teams traded misses down the stretch, with Porzingis' 18-foot miss just before the buzzer forcing overtime.
Chriss capped an early 12-0 run with a 3-pointer and a follow-up slam dunk to give Phoenix a 17-6 lead with 6:59 left in the first quarter. Chriss scored 13 points in the first half, twice his 6.4-point game average.
The Knicks quickly answered with an 11-4 run and pulled within 21-17 on two Rose free throws with 3:08 left. Rose, who missed all six field-goal attempts, left the game soon after with back spasms and did not return.
Leandro Barbosa's jumper at the buzzer gave the Suns a 31-25 lead after one quarter, and they stretched the advantage to 46-32 on Chriss' dunk with 6:55 left in the half.
The Knicks reeled off 11 straight points, including a pair of 3-pointers by Porzingis, to cut the deficit to 46-43 with 4:43 left. But they scored only three more points for the rest of the half, and the Suns stretched the lead to 54-46 at the break.
Chandler scored seven points in the third period and the Suns expanded their lead to 14 before taking an 85-73 lead to the fourth.
But the Knicks opened the quarter with a 15-4 run and took their first lead since early in the first quarter at 88-87 on Justin Holiday's driving layup with 7:42 left in regulation.
NOTES: Phoenix C Alex Len missed the game with a hip contusion suffered against the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday. ... Suns F T.J. Warren missed his 12th straight game with a minor head injury but could play as soon as Thursday against the San Antonio Spurs. ... Knicks F Kyle O'Quinn returned after missing one game with a sprained right ankle. ... Suns G Devin Booker played in his 100th NBA game Tuesday. Booker (10) and Carmelo Anthony of the Knicks (12) are two of seven players to have at least 10 30-point games in their first 100 NBA starts since 2000. LeBron James (18), Blake Griffin (15). Kyrie Irving (12), Stephen Curry (11) and Kevin Durant (10) are the others. ... Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek on his first game in Phoenix since being fired last season: "It's always great to get back and see some of the people you have relationships with. But once tip-off starts ... let's get a win." Tyson Chandler, 34, had a season-high 21 rebounds against the Pelicans. He is the oldest player to grab 21 rebounds in a game since 37-year-old Tim Duncan had 21 on Dec. 2, 2013.