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PHOENIX — Devin Booker scored 9 of his 30 points in the final 6:05 Thursday night, including a 28-foot step-back 3-pointer with 23.8 seconds left, as the Phoenix Suns held off the Charlotte Hornets 101-96 at Mortgage Matchup Center.
Booker finished with 30 points and 7 assists on 12-of-20 shooting. The Suns (5-6) won their second straight game, and Charlotte fell to 4-8.
Charlotte outrebounded Phoenix 52-31 and won the second-chance battle 16-7, but it turned the ball over 27 times. Phoenix scored 38 points off those turnovers.
Phoenix Suns Lose A 17-Point Lead, Then Win The Fourth Quarter
Phoenix led by 17 in the second quarter before Charlotte erased the deficit and took a 76-72 lead into the fourth. The Suns won the final period 29-20 and went ahead for good on a Collin Gillespie pull-up jumper with 8:44 left.
Booker checked back in with Phoenix up 87-82. After Charlotte pulled within a point, his fadeaway jumper and a Dillon Brooks step-back 3 made it 92-86 with 3:40 left.
Charlotte was within 94-91 when Booker hit his 28-footer. Royce O’Neale’s four-point play cut it to 97-95 with 21.2 seconds left, Miles Bridges made two free throws, and Booker stole a Grayson Allen pass and made both free throws with 11.1 seconds left.
Charles Lee Says Charlotte Hornets Must Tighten Up Turnovers
Moussa Diabaté had 8 of Charlotte’s 15 offensive rebounds and finished with 7 points and 13 rebounds. Twenty-five of the Hornets’ turnovers were committed by players, and 2 more came on shot-clock violations.
Hornets coach Charles Lee said in his postgame media availability that he could not wait to go back to the film and separate the forced turnovers from the unforced ones. He expected too many to be unforced and said everyone, himself included, had to look in the mirror.
“You lose a five-point game, you have 27 turnovers,” Lee said. “That’s like way too many opportunities for the other team to capitalize.”
Coby White led Charlotte with 21 points. The Hornets played without Kon Knueppel and Dennis Schröder, both out with left hamstring strains, and Brandon Miller, who has a right hip strain.
Miles Bridges And Grayson Allen Meet Their Former Teams
Bridges spent seven seasons in Charlotte before the Hornets traded him to Phoenix in July for Allen and O’Neale. He finished with 11 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists against his former team and made all 5 of his free throws.
Allen, who spent three seasons with the Suns, scored 14 points with 6 assists and made 4-of-8 3-pointers in his first game back in Phoenix. O’Neale scored all 7 of his points in the fourth quarter.
Allen and Gillespie talked after the game, and Allen brought up getting more 3-pointers up, Gillespie said during his on-court interview.
“We love G,” Gillespie said. “Obviously, we miss him, but wish him a lot of luck in his new journey over there.”
Gillespie credited Phoenix’s defense and its steals for the finish and said the Suns have to be better at putting teams away when they build a big lead.
Phoenix, 4-2 on a seven-game homestand, closes it against the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday at 3 p.m. CT. Charlotte visits the Los Angeles Clippers the same day at 3:30 p.m. CT.
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