Eric Bledsoe embraces Tyler Ulis after Ulis’ 3-pointer at the buzzer gave the Suns a 109-106 win over Boston — and the first three-game winning streak of their season.
Suns’ Ulis hits buzzer beater to top Celtics, guard Thomas
With five minutes left in the second quarter, Phoenix rookie Tyler Ulis and Boston guard Isaiah Thomas – two of the NBA’s shortest players – got tied up, an official whistling for a jump ball. The Sunday crowd at Talking Stick Resort Arena instantly realized what it was about to see and started cheering. Thomas raised his hands, encouraging the applause. He won the jump ball. An hour later, Ulis won the game. With time running out, the Phoenix point guard picked up a loose ball and buried a 3-pointer to lift the Suns to a 109-106 win in front of an electric crowd of 16,790. Coach Earl Watson chest bumped Ulis near the Suns bench. His teammates mobbed him. For the first time this season, the Suns have a three-game winning streak thanks to an unlikely hero.
“Tyler Ulis, no more questions, thank you for com-
ing,” Watson jokingly said at the start of his postgame news conference.
Across the NBA, among 30 teams, there are only six players who stand under 6 feet. Sunday’s game featured two. The Suns list Ulis at 5-10. The Celtics list Thomas at 5-9. The former is a rookie, the latter is an MVP candidate. Both were second-round draft picks. Both started their careers well aware of the challenges – real and perceived – that come with being vertically challenged in the NBA.
In fact, this is what Kentucky coach John Calipari had in mind when he arranged for Ulis – then his sophomore point guard – to talk with Thomas. To show him it can be done.
“Just be yourself,” said Thomas, remembering what he had told Ulis. “Being a little guy, they’re not going to give you anything. Be yourself and be special.”
Although Ulis came off the bench, he spent a significant portion of Sunday’s contest attached to Thomas. The two are similar, yet different, in ways obvious (Thomas is more of a scorer; Ulis, a playmaker) and not so obvious (Thomas chews gum; Ulis wears a mouth guard). Ulis knew what to expect from Thomas. At this point, everyone does. Entering the contest, Thomas, 28, was the NBA’s second-leading scorer with a reputation for producing in the clutch.
For such reasons, Ulis, 21, recently has studied film of the All-Star guard.
“I didn’t watch him early on because I figured we were two different players,” Ulis said, “but as of lately I have been watching him because he’s the only one my size in the NBA doing the things he’s doing. As an All-Star, it’s great for me to look at to see how he finishes at the rim and things like that.”
Both guards had moments in the first half. In the first quarter, Thomas nailed a 3-pointer, turned and talked to the Suns bench as he retreated down court. With a minute left in the second, Ulis – who had picked Thomas up nearly full court the entire game – stripped Thomas on the perimeter and raced to retrieve the ball. Thomas dived to the court, picking up his fourth foul. “Good pressure, Tyler!” yelled Suns assistant Nate Bjorkgren.
Phoenix outscored Boston 30-20 in the second quarter. Ulis had half of those points, making 6 of 7 from the field, affecting the game on both ends. Boston
“This is what I’ve always wanted as a player. To be in the spotlight, to be in the NBA.” TYLER ULIS SUNS GUARD
coach Brad Stevens credited the rookie for pressuring his guards, and then said “he really torched us on offense” the rest of the half.
“What’s surprising people is his ability to score,” said Suns guard Devin Booker, who played with Ulis at Kentucky. “Everybody looked at him as a pass-first point guard but he can pretty much do it all.”
In the end, Thomas did what he has done all season. The fourth quarter “ain’t for everyone” he has said more than once. Entering Sunday’s contest, the Boston guard had averaged 10.3 points in the final quarter, most in the league. This time Thomas would score 14 of his 35 over the final 12 minutes. With 8:15 left, he hit a 3, pulling Boston to within 86-85. Four minutes later, hit another, giving the Celtics a 93-91 lead.
For most of the season, Ulis has not been on the court in these moments. But lately, as the Suns have shifted to a youth movement, Watson has leaned on the backup point guard. And Ulis has produced. With 1:41 to go, he found Alan Williams inside for a 100-99 lead. From there, the game teetered.
Jae Crowder scored to put Boston back in front. After a Phoenix miss, Jaylen Brown made 1 of 2 from the foul line for a 105-102 cushion. Eric Bledsoe scored quickly to pull the Suns to within one. With 11.9 seconds left, Thomas made a free throw and missed one. With four seconds left, Bledsoe drove the length of the court to tie.
The Celtics quickly got the ball to Thomas but rookie forward Marquese Chriss stripped him. With time running out, Ulis scooped up the loose ball, took one dribble and hit the winning 3-pointer. In a season-high 33 minutes, Ulis had a season-high 20 points and five assists with no turnovers. Since the All-Star break, he’s averaged 9.8 points and 5.5 assists, changing the game on both ends.
“This is what I’ve always wanted as a player,” Ulis said. “To be in the spotlight, to be in the NBA.”
“He’s talented,” Thomas said. “He’s a good, young basketball player. He’ll have a long career in this league.”
Contact Doug Haller at 602-444-4949 or at doug.haller@arizonarepublic.