Prince’s 3 lifts Hawks past Suns
ATLANTA HAWKS: Hawks 113, Suns 112
ATLANTA — Taurean Prince knew the Atlanta Hawks had the perfect setup for a dramatic 3-pointer.
Get Miles Plumlee to set a screen close to the arc, and Prince would take care of the rest. “It’s a great feeling,” Prince said. “Hopefully, I’ll put up more.”
Prince hit the go-ahead 3 with 7.6 seconds remaining and finished with 22 points, helping the Hawks hold off the Phoenix Suns 113-112 on Sunday.
Devin Booker’s potential winner for Phoenix, a 15-foot shot from the right baseline, bounced off the rim with Tyler Dorsey defending as time expired.
“I got the shot I wanted,” Booker said. “I picked a point on the floor. I got to it. I just missed it.”
T.J. Warren scored 35 points, and Elfrid Payton had 11 points, 10 rebounds and a season-high 14 assists for the Suns. Booker finished with 20 points, ending a streak of four straight games in which he had at least 30.
In a matchup of two struggling teams, neither led by more than seven. Prince’s basket marked the 24th lead change.
Phoenix has lost 22 of its last 26 games, dropping to 19-46, second-worst in the Western Conference. Atlanta, which had lost five of six, improved to 20-44, worst in the East.
Dennis Schroder had 21 points for Atlanta but did not play in the closing minutes because of what appeared to be a leg injury after he fell hard to the floor on his right side in the third.
Schroder said after the game that he felt fine.
Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer played Jaylen Morris the rest of the way.
“Just happy a lot of those guys stepped up in situations they’re not in a lot,” Budenholzer said. “A lot of good stuff for the whole game. We got better.”
Warren’s layup with 20 seconds remaining gave Phoenix a 112-110 lead. After Prince scored, Suns coach Jay Triano called a timeout and set up a clear-out play for Booker.
“If you bring a screen, they’d probably trap it,” Triano said. “But we got the look we wanted on the clear side.”
Phoenix finished with 33 assists and outscored the Hawks by 20 in the paint, thanks in part to 17 points from Marquese Chriss.
Atlanta tied a seasonhigh with 17 3s. Prince went 6 for 8 beyond the arc.