Eric Gordon delivers a clutch jumper as New Orleans Hornets edge out Phoenix Suns 85 – 84: NBA Recap
On Monday night, the Phoenix Suns were unable to hold off the New Orleans Hornets in a game that went right down to the wire.
The Hornets traded away super star point guard Chris Paul in the offseason and a new look side gave a good account of itself against the gritty Suns team, which was led by veteran point guard Steve Nash. The swingman notched up another double-double with 14 points and 12 assists. He was ably assisted by Robin Lopez, who came off the bench to garner 21 points. Marcin Gortat was the other Suns player among the points with 13.
For the Hornets, newly acquired shooting guard Eric Gordon shone the brightest. He dropped 20 points including the game winning jumper at the death. Carl Landry and Trevor Ariza were the other big contributors with 14 and 13 points respectively.
The game started on an even note and scores remained close throughout the first quarter. Both sides made some good plays offensively, but the defences weren’t really up to scratch, resulting in a fast paced quarter that ended at 23 – 20 to the Hornets.
The Suns levelled the scores early in the second period at 27 – 27, but New Orleans picked up a little pace after that. They stretched the advantage to 8 at one point, but Phoenix stopped the rot and ended the quarter trailing by six.
The third quarter belonged to the Suns. They looked aggressive and their defence stepped it up to hold the Hornets to just 15 points in the quarter. The Suns themselves scored 24 for the period and after entering the second half at a disadvantage, found themselves leading going into the final quarter at 65 – 62.
Phoenix looked strong at the start of the last period but the young Hornets side made a spirited comeback, ensuring a thrilling end to the game. The sides traded blows and the momentum shifted back and forth throughout the quarter. Landry made a turnaround shot to get the scores within one at 81 – 82 with just 2:19 left on the clock. Robin Lopez however gave his side some breathing space with a two, but Gordon clawed back from the free throw line.
Hornets hustled well on the next possession, forcing the Suns to miss their shot. Then, with just around 4 seconds remaining, Eric Gordon took responsibility and nailed a jumper that proved to be the winning shot as Phoenix failed to find a reply, giving New Orleans a 85 – 84 victory.
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