The contrast between the Eastern and Western Conference was as evident as ever Monday night.
The Suns are now 13 games over .500 as their victory over the Hawks moved them into the eighth and final playoff spot in the West. The Hawks fell to seven games under .500 yet remain eighth in the East.
The Suns used a strong second half, keyed by a 35-point third quarter, en route to a 102-95 victory over the Hawks at Philips Arena.
The Hawks (31-38, 20-13 home) have dropped three straight games. They are 2-1/2 games ahead of the Knicks in the East for the final spot. They remain two games behind Charlotte, who lost to the Rockets, for seventh place with 13 games remaining in the regular season.
“Win games, simple as that,” Paul Millsap said of the Hawks’ playoff push. “Win as many games as we can. Out of the (13), we have to win as many as we can. Hopefully, it’s a large amount. We have to continue to get better and hopefully we can do it.
“As long as the Knicks lose. We still have a level head. We know that we’ve got a chance to make it. Continue to stay positive. Continue to push forward.”
DeMarre Carroll and Millsap led the Hawks with 19 points apiece. Millsap is averaging 20.9 points over the past eight games. Lou Williams came off the bench for 17 points, including seven in the second quarter. Jeff Teague also added 17 points.
The Suns (42-29, 18-16 road) have won four straight and six of seven games to make a run at the playoffs. They are tied with the Mavericks for the final playoff spot. Eric Bledsoe led five double-figure scorers with 20 points. Goran Dragic had 19 points, including 14 in a decisive third quarter, and Channing Frye had 18 points.
The Suns used a 29-11 third-quarter run to erase a halftime deficit and led by as many as 10 points, 73-63, in the period. They took a 77-68 advantage into the final quarter. The Suns’ 35 third-quarter points were just seven points less than their first-half total.
“Their guards started getting inside of us and that ultimately becomes a problem,” coach Mike Budenholzer said. “If I had to say what happened in the third quarter their penetration and their guards getting inside of us.”
The lasting picture would be Dragic driving the length of the court for a layup with 1.5 seconds left in the third.
The Suns started fast and led 11-2 just 2:22 into the game. Three of the Suns’ first four baskets were 3-pointers. The Hawks missed their first six shots and were 2 of 10 before getting their offense in gear. The Suns’ lead was gone by early in the second quarter after Williams scored four straight points for a 27-25 advantage. The Hawks led by as many as seven points in the period and took a 45-42 lead into intermission.
It was a stark contrast from the meeting between the teams earlier this month in Phoenix. The Suns scored 40 first-quarter and 79 first-half points in that game.
“We’ve got to work to improve and we’ve got to get better,” Budenholzer said. “The last three or four days have been tough but there are lots of things we’ve watched, there are lots of things we’ve talked about. We want to get better from the start of the season to the end of the season. Now we are down to (13) games and those (13) games we have to improve and we have to get better. If we do that, the chips will fall where they may and I think we’ll be good shape. But we can’t digress.”
The Hawks next play at the Timberwolves Wednesday.
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