Markieff Morris scored a career-high 30 points and Eric Bledsoe had a key steal and breakaway dunk in the closing minute to lift the Phoenix Suns to a 118-114 victory over the Boston Celtics on Monday night.
Goran Dragic had 22 points, Alex Len scored 19 with seven rebounds and Bledsoe finished with 15 points and seven assists for the Suns, who lost their previous two games.
Jeff Green led Boston with 28 points, and Jared Sullinger had 18 points with eight rebounds. Rajon Rondo fell one assist shy of a triple-double with 14 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists.
Tyler Zeller added 19 points and seven rebounds for the Celtics, who lost their third straight.
Bledsoe stole Avery Bradley’s crosscourt pass and went in alone for a dunk, pushing the Suns ahead 116-114 with 29.5 seconds to play.
Green’s long 3-point attempt rimmed out and Len grabbed the rebound. He was fouled and hit both from the line to push the Suns ahead 118-114 with 19.8 seconds to play.
The lead changed six times in a wild, up-and-down fourth quarter until Green’s fast-break dunk put Boston ahead with just under a minute to go. He was fouled on the play and hit the free throw, making it 114-112 with 57.3 seconds left.
Dragic then got free for a backdoor layup, tying it at 114 with 46 seconds remaining.
Boston took a 105-104 lead — its first since early in the second quarter — on Green’s driving basket down the lane.
Phoenix opened the third quarter by scoring 11 of the first 13 points, opening its biggest lead of the game on Marcus Morris’ 3-pointer from the right corner. But, just as they did in the first half, the Celtics came charging back, closing to 89-88 on Zeller’s fast-break dunk at the end of the quarter.
The Suns held a 13-point lead in the opening quarter, but it was sliced to 60-54 at halftime.
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TIP-INS
Suns: Coach Jeff Hornacek would like to see his team a little more focused after producing the best turnaround in the NBA last season. “We got to where we were by scratching and clawing, and playing with a little bit of a chip on our shoulders,” he said before the game. “We’ve got to get it back. We can’t go into games just thinking we’re going to win. Our biggest problem is consistency.” Last season, the Suns were 48-34 after going 25-57 in 2012-13.
Celtics: Facing a team that was leading the league in fast-break points, coach Brad Stevens had his squad working on transition defense a lot during practice Sunday. “You have to get back,” he said before the game. “Defensively, they have to beat you on offense.”
UP NEXT
Suns: Play the third of a six-game road trip Wednesday at Detroit.
Celtics: At Philadelphia on Wednesday.