Marcus Morris hit a game-winning fadeaway jumper at the buzzer to help the Phoenix Suns erase what was once a 24-point deficit and beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 91-89 on Monday in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.
Trailing by as many as 12 points in the fourth quarter, the Suns finished the game on a 10-2 run over the final 1:38. The Suns tied the score at 87-all on back-to-back 3-pointers from Markieff Morris and Kendall Marshall and hustled their way into an 89-all affair with 11.5 seconds remaining on a P.J. Tucker hook shot after three offensive rebounds earlier in the possession.
The T-Wolves had a chance to regain the lead, but Marcus Morris wrestled the ball away from the Shabazz Muhammad with 3.3 seconds left and called timeout to set up the buzzer-beating shot.
Tied 8-8 in the early going, Minnesota went on a 17-2 run spanning more than five minutes and ended the first quarter up 32-14 after Solomon Jones sank a mid-range jump shot with a second to play in the period. The lead ballooned to 46-22 in the second quarter before Phoenix closed to within seven by the end of the third.
The Suns were led in scoring by Markieff Morris, who had 22 points and was a very efficient 7 for 9 from the field, 2 for 3 from beyond the arc and 6 for 7 from the free-throw line while also collecting six rebounds. Twin brother and game hero Marcus Morris finished his all-around impressive performance with 18 points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals, leading all players in the theft department.
The Morris twins were two of five Suns players to finish in double digits in scoring. Dionte Christimas scored 16 points off the bench for first-year head coach Jeff Hornacek, while Marshall added 13 points and six assists and Tucker contributed a near double-double with 10 points and nine boards.
The Timberwolves were hot from downtown all game long, going 10 for 20 on 3-point attempts while shooting 49 percent for the game overall. Leading the hot-shooting charge was former Purdue star Robbie Hummel, who connected on both of his 3-point tries and led the team with 18 points. Hummel, a late second-round pick in the 2012 draft, finished 6 for 8 from the field. Demetri McCamey also did not miss from beyond the arc, nailing all three of his long-range shots and finishing with 13 points while going 5 for 7 from the field.
With the win, Phoenix improved to 2-0 and dropped Minnesota to 0-2. The Suns will play their final pre-tournament game Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. against the Memphis Grizzlies.
