Phoenix Suns Can't Hang On to Lead Against Miami Heat

The Phoenix Suns, looking for their fifth-straight win, had a 10-point fourth-quarter lead on one of the NBA's best teams but lost 99-95 to the Miami Heat in Florida on Tuesday night. Over the last 7:28 of the game, the Suns missed 15 of 17 shots, allowing the Heat to...

By Jay Bennett

March 21, 2012

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The Phoenix Suns, looking for their fifth-straight win, had a 10-point fourth-quarter lead on one of the NBA's best teams but lost 99-95 to the Miami Heat in Florida on Tuesday night.

Over the last 7:28 of the game, the Suns missed 15 of 17 shots, allowing the Heat to go on a 17-0 run and eventually seal their 14th-straight home win.

The Suns had the NBA's second-best record over the past month, climbing out of an early-season hole to go one game over .500. Tuesday's loss set them back to .500 with a 23-23 record. Now, the Suns are in 10th place in the NBA's Western Conference, just 1.5 games out of the eighth playoff seed and one game behind ninth-place Utah Jazz.

In Tuesday's game, Grant Hill led the Suns in scoring with 19 points. He also had seven rebounds. Marcin Gortat had 13 points and eight rebounds, while Markieff Morris finished with 12 points. Steve Nash finished with nine points and 10 assists.

The Suns will travel to Orlando today to take on the Magic. Tip-off is at 4 p.m. Radio: KTAR 620 AM. TV: Fox Sports Arizona. More info: www.suns.com.

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