Suns Stun Celtics At Buzzer, 109-106
PHOENIX -- Eric Bledsoe had 28 points and rookie Tyler Ulis had a career-high 20 points, including a 3-pointer as time expired, in the Phoenix Suns' 109-106 victory over the Boston Celtics at Talking Stick Resort Arena on Sunday.
Bledsoe made a layup with four seconds left and Ulis came up with a loose ball after Marquese Chriss stripped the inbounds pass from Thomas.
Ulis' 3-pointer from the right wing to extend the Suns' winning streak to a season-long three.
Thomas had 35 points and five 3-pointers and forward Jae Crowder had 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Celtics (40-23), who had a two-game winning streak broken.
Bledsoe made two layups in the final 13.7 seconds, and the Celtics missed two free throws down the stretch, one by Jaylen Brown and one by Thomas with 11.2 seconds remaining before Bledsoe's second layup.
Brown and Thomas hit back-to-back 3-pointers for a 93-91 lead with 4:41 remaining, the Celtics first lead since the second quarter, beginning a back-and-forth that included eight lead changes in the final 2:42.
Thomas made a driving layup for a 101-100 lead before Alan Williams made a follow shot with 50.9 seconds put the Suns up 102-101.
Crowder made a driving layup and the ensuing free throw for a 104-102 lead with 41.6 seconds left. After a Suns miss, Brown made a free throw and Eric Bledsoe hit a layup with 13.7 seconds remaining. It was 105-104.
Thomas made one free throw with 11.2 seconds left.
Devin Booker had 16 points, T.J. Warren had 14 and rookie Chriss had 10 points and a season-high five locked shots as the Suns (21-42) moved to 13-9 against the Eastern Conference.
Thomas made 10-of-25 field goal attempts, 5-of-12 from 3-point range, and all nine free throw attempts.
Brown and Amir Johnson had 13 points apiece for the Celtics.
Ulis had 15 points and one assist in the first half. He had 11 straight Suns' points and 13 of 15 while assisting on the other basket early in the period. Ulis made four free throws in the final minute if the quarter as the Suns used a period-ending 22-7 run for a 49-42 halftime lead.
The Suns led by 15, 79-64, after Warren's dunk with 3 1-2 minutes left in the third quarter before a pair of Terry Rozier 3-pointers in a 13-2 run made it 81-77 entering the fourth.
NOTES: Celtics F Al Horford (right elbow sprain) and G Avery Bradley (right hamstring strain) missed the game. Horford had 17 points in 31 minutes against the Lakers on Friday. Bradley previously missed about two months with an Achilles tendon injury. ... Suns C Tyson Chandler and G Brandon Knight missed their sixth straight game as the Suns have opted to give extended minutes to rookies G Tyler Ulis and F Derrick Jones Jr. and second-year C Alan Williams. ... Suns G Devin Booker and Boston G Isaiah Thomas are the only two players who have scored at least 24 points in multiple quarters this season. Each has done it twice.
