Suns vs. Hornets reaction: Phoenix wins wild one at home

The Phoenix Suns defeated the New Orleans Hornets in overtime on Friday night, 111-108. It was a wild game, with the Suns driving back from a 19-point deficit in the third quarter, then losing their own 8-point advantage in the fourth. SB Nation's Suns blog Bright Side of the Sun has a full recap up, and it reflects the kind of game it was for Phoenix. They describe the start of the third quarter comeback:

Then P.J. Tucker and Jermaine O`Neal stepped onto the court. Everything changed.

The Suns became scrappier and played with a passion that had been missing. The energy ramped up noticeably and the Hornets lead was cut to a mere four points by the end of the third, capped off by a three-pointer by none other than Tucker at the buzzer.

At the beginning of the fourth, the Suns tried something new – running a Hornet off the three-point line. It worked! Xavier Henry had to step in and missed the runner. Two possessions later, the Suns took the lead on a three by Dudley, and then a fast-break finish by Scola put the Suns up by three.

Tucker finished the game with 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting. His plus/minus on the night was plus-25, and O'Neal came out ahead of that at plus-29. The overtime period was "like a pair of prizefighters on their last breaths," says Bright Side of the Sun. The first four minutes of overtime saw only two points scored, a jumper by Goran Dragic that was sandwiched between eight misses, five by Phoenix and three by New Orleans. Things picked up after that, and baskets by Tucker and Markieff Morris put the game away for the Suns.

The full recap contains even more craziness from the game, so don't miss it.