PHOENIX – Brandon Knight scored 17 of his 21 points in the second half, Alex Len set career highs with 20 points and 14 rebounds, and the Phoenix Suns beat the Orlando Magic 107-104 on Wednesday night.
Eric Bledsoe made a tiebreaking layup for Phoenix with 1:11 left and finished with 21 points and nine assists. The Magic had a couple chances to tie in the final 30 seconds but turned the ball over, and Victor Oladipo and Evan Fournier missed potential game-tying 3s in the final five seconds.
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Bledsoe made one of two free throws with 16 seconds left for the final margin.
Nicola Vucevic led Orlando with 21 points and 11 rebounds, but missed a short putback in the final minute that could have tied it.
The Suns trailed for much of the first half, but rallied in the third quarter. Knight and Bledsoe combined for 22 of the Suns' 35 points in the period.
When Len pulled down an offensive rebound and scored at the 3:45 mark, Phoenix had a 73-61 lead. Coach Jeff Hornacek pumped his first in celebration.
Len had 11 points in the third, and Phoenix carried an 84-73 lead into the fourth. But the Magic responded with a 13-2 run, and Vucevic's jumper with 9:20 left tied it at 86.
The Magic held a 24-21 lead through one quarter, helped by a 12-1 run that lasted a little more than four minutes. Tobias Harris hit a 3-pointer and dunked during that stretch and the Magic led by as many as six points in the opening 12 minutes.
Orlando took a nine-point lead in the second quarter on Shabazz Napier's 3-pointer at the nine-minute mark. But the Suns tied it at 39 on a 3 from Teletovic with 4:54 to play in the half. P.J. Tucker tipped in a missed shot at the halftime buzzer for a 49-47 Suns lead.
TIP-INS
Magic: F Aaron Gordon returned after missing Wednesday's game with a sprained right ankle and played 12 minutes. ... Harris was accidentally poked in the eye by Tucker early in the third quarter and left the game, but returned to action later. Harris finished with 16 points. ... Former Sun Channing Frye, a popular player in his time in Phoenix in part because of his local roots, started for the Magic. Frye got a cheer from the crowd when he was introduced.
Suns: F Markieff Morris (sinus infection) and C Tyson Chandler (right hamstring strain) did not play. Chandler's absence allowed for more minutes for Len. ... The Suns sang happy birthday to Bledsoe earlier in the day and gave him a cake. He turned 26.
KNIGHT FLYER
Knight made only two shots in the first half, but one was a high-flying dunk midway through the second quarter. Off a steal, Knight passed ahead to Bledsoe on the break, and he fed the hustling Knight in the paint. Knight elevated above the hoop for a one-handed jam.
UP NEXT
Magic: Host Cleveland on Friday night.
Suns: Host Portland on Friday night