Suns, Bulls meet after feel-good victories (Nov 19, 2017)
PHOENIX -- It has been a challenging season for the building programs in Chicago and Phoenix, but they will meet Sunday on a high.
For the first time this year, the two had victories on the same day Friday -- the Suns beat the Lakers for the first time in three meetings and the Bulls held off Charlotte to break a five-game losing streak.
The Suns (6-11) will play host to the Bulls (3-10) in the first of two meetings between the teams in 10 days. The Bulls will host the rematch Nov. 28.
One game after scoring only seven points in the first quarter of a 92-79 loss to Oklahoma City, the Bulls scored 40 points in the fourth period to overtake the Hornets 123-120. New dad Justin Holiday had 27 points, two short of a career high, and Kris Dunn had a career-high 22.
"I'm just thankful and blessed to be able to have a child that's healthy and still have this job at the end of the day," Holiday told reporters. "I'm good."
Bulls rookie forward Lauri Markkanen, who declared for the NBA Draft after one year at the University of Arizona, is averaging 14.8 points and 7.6 rebounds a game. He is fifth among rookies in scoring and second in rebounding.
Markkanen had 16 points against the Hornets, and his two free throws with 2.6 seconds remaining were the final points.
"If we keep going out there playing hard together, keep building that chemistry ... I think we're going to carry it on to the next game," Dunn told reporters.
The Suns beat new/old nemesis the Lakers 122-113 at the Staples Center on Friday after losing twice at home to Lonzo Ball and company earlier, losses that appeared to have left a mark.
"After dropping the first two games, we knew we were going in with a must-win mentality, that we want to punch first and win," Suns guard Devin Booker told reporters. "I think we did that."
Booker scored 33 points and make six 3-pointers, and point guard Tyler Ulis had a season-high 16 points with seven assists in his fourth start of the season. That came a day after a 142-116 loss to Houston in which the Suns gave up 90 points in the first half, tied for the second-most points given up in one half in NBA history.
"With Devin playing the way he is, getting another 30, you have to pay attention to him, and it creates space for everyone else," Phoenix interim coach Jay Triano told reporters. "Some of our guys really stepped up and made tough shots when they had to, or got to the free throw line."
The Suns' previous losses to the Lakers were by two and seven points. In the second one, Booker had words with the Lakers' bench when he fell to the floor in front of the bench after missing a 3-point attempt in the final minute. This time, Ulis and Lakers guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope engaged in a serious shoving match with about three minutes remaining.
"We understand that those were two games that we definitely should have won," Ulis said. "You know we wanted to come out and prove that we should have won both of those games and win the next matchup as well."
Newcomer Greg Monroe has started the last two games at center for the Suns in place of Tyson Chandler, who was sidelined by an infectious respiratory illness. Monroe had 20 points and 11 rebounds in his first start against Houston but had only six points while playing 16 minutes against the Lakers.
There is speculation that the Suns are attempting to trade him to relieve a logjam at center that includes Chandler and Alex Len. Len had 17 points and 18 rebounds against the Lakers.
