Suns 102, Knicks 89
Eric Bledsoe collected 21 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds as Phoenix turned away visiting New York.
Marcus Morris added 20 points and Brandan Wright had 18 points and 11 rebounds for the Suns, who are three games behind the Oklahoma City Thunder for the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference. Markieff Morris contributed 14 points and three steals for Phoenix.
Andrea Bargnani and Alexey Shved scored 18 points apiece for the Knicks, who finished up a 1-4 road trip. Lance Thomas added 14 points and Cole Aldrich hauled in 10 rebounds for New York.
The Suns carried a nine-point lead into the fourth quarter but the Knicks quickly pulled within 79-75 on Bargnani’s free throws with 9:38 to play. Phoenix would not let it get any closer and spread it out to 96-80 on Marcus Morris’ basket, and Bledsoe’s 3-pointer with 3:20 to play restored a 14-point advantage as New York’s final rally sputtered.
The Knicks came out strong and led by as much as 11 points in the first quarter before heading into the second on top 29-23. The Suns closed the half with a 9-2 burst to cut the deficit to one point at the break and opened the third with a 12-3 run to take control.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Wright was starting in place of C Alex Len, who is day-to-day with an ankle injury. … Phoenix built up a 51-35 advantage on the boards and outscored New York in the paint 52-32. … Knicks G Tim Hardaway Jr. recorded four points in two minutes before leaving with a sprained right wrist.