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 So, the 6-foot-9 forward did something about it in the Suns' 103-101
win against the Chicago Bulls on Monday night at the United Center.
Teletovic put Phoenix over the top by grabbing an offensive rebound
of teammate Jon Leuer's 3-pointer and hitting a fade-away shot with
0.3 seconds remaining.
Chicago couldn't counter on the game's final possession and the Suns
(9-13) got an emotional win after battling back from a 16-point
deficit to start the fourth quarter.
"At the end of a road trip, to be down that much in the fourth
quarter and fight back, and come away with a win against a really
good playoff team, it says a lot about the character of this group,"
said Leuer, who had 12 points and eight rebounds. "We've been in
every game on this road trip, and easily could've gone 6-0, to be
honest. It just shows that you've got to keep fighting, keep pushing
and eventually you'll come out on the winning side."
Phoenix, which played for the second time in as many days, ended a
four-game losing streak. The losses were decided by a total of 13
points, and all happened on a road trip that covered 5,770 miles.
Down 77-61 starting the fourth, after the Bulls outscored them 26-10
in the third, the Suns (9-13) could've easily just called it a
night. Instead, led by guard Brandon Knight's 17 fourth-quarter
points, they stormed back into the game.
Phoenix outscored Chicago 25-11 in the first seven minutes of the
fourth and 42-24 overall in the frame, ultimately getting into
position to give the Bulls (11-7) their second straight loss at
home.
"I can't really explain it," said Knight, who finished with 21
points to lead six Suns who finished in double-figures scoring. "I
just know we dug down and did our best to try to rally. That's one
thing about our team. We never give up, and that's what guys did
tonight. We just kept playing."
The win evened the season series between the Suns and Bulls, who won
103-97 on Nov. 18 in Phoenix. Understandably, losing this game did
not sit well.
"We had a 16-point lead and played our best defensive quarter of the
year, and outscored them 26-10 in the third; then follow that up
with our worst defensive quarter of the year, giving them 42 points
and letting them back in the game," Chicago coach Fred Hoiberg said.
"We just couldn't find a way to get a rebound. They scored 28
second-chance points, and a lot of those at key times."
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None was bigger than Teletovic's at the end, which gave him 20
points. Phoenix guard Eric Bledsoe also had 16 points and nine
rebounds, center Alex Len finished with 15 points, and rookie guard
Devin Booker chipped in 14 points off the bench.
Center Pau Gasol had 22 points and 10 rebounds to lead Chicago,
while guard Jimmy Butler had 19 points, forward Nikola Mirotic had
13 points, guard Tony Snell finished with 10 points, and guard
Derrick Rose had 14 points, six rebounds and four assists.
Trailing 101-96 after a 3-pointer by Butler with 1:51 left in the
fourth, the Suns scored the next five points. Booker drilled a
3-pointer and Bledsoe followed with a steal and layup.
Rose, who had just two points at the half, had a chance to give the
Bulls the lead with 28 seconds to play. He missed a jumper, which
set up the Suns' final possession.
"It's tough," Chicago forward Taj Gibson said. "They just made a
run. They made some tough shots. It was a tough game. We had a
couple of letdowns on defense, and they had a lot of offensive
rebounds. We couldn't close out late."
NOTES: Phoenix C Tyson Chandler didn't play because of a right
hamstring strain. Chandler still felt the injury while doing
on-court work prior to the Suns' 95-93 loss Sunday in Memphis. He
has missed all six games of a road trip. "We've got to get him 100
percent," Suns coach Jeff Hornacek said. "If we have him get out
there too early and he strains it more, and now he's out another two
to three weeks, that's not going to help us out." ... Chicago played
without F Mike Dunleavy, who hasn't played this season while
recovering from preseason back surgery. ... Hornacek opted not to
use F Markieff Morris in Memphis mainly because of matchups, but
also because he's struggling. "He does everything we ask," Hornacek
said. "He's trying hard. I don't know if he's pressing a little bit,
but shots that he made all last year, and all the clutch plays, he
just hasn't gotten it going yet. We're still hopeful that he'll do
that."
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