Best of NBA: Late surge lifts Suns over Nets

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NEW YORK -- Devin Booker scored 32 points, Mike James added 24 and the Phoenix Suns rallied in the fourth quarter to beat the Brooklyn Nets 122-114 on Tuesday night.

T.J. Warren scored 14 of his 20 points during the final period for the Suns, who squandered an 18-point lead in the third quarter when Brooklyn went on a 17-0 run. Phoenix seemed out of it after Ronda Hollis-Jefferson's basket gave Brooklyn a 106-98 lead with 6:35 left in the fourth.

But the Suns, who lost a tough one at Portland on Saturday, quickly answered with a 24-8 run for their first win on their five-game road trip.

D'Angelo Russell scored 33 points and Hollis-Jefferson had 21 for the Nets, who've lost three straight after beating the Cleveland Cavaliers last Wednesday at home.

Warren and James combined on a 7-0 run that closed the lead to 106-101 with 6:15, forcing the Nets to call a timeout.

After a miss by the Nets, Warren tipped in Booker's failed layup to initiate a 9-0 run capped by Dragan Bender's 3-pointer that gave the Suns a 116-108 lead with 2:03 left in the game (see full recap).

George, Thunder cruise to win over Bucks
MILWAUKEE -- Paul George scored 20 points, and the Oklahoma City Thunder dominated the paint during a 16-0 run to take control early in a 110-91 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night.

Russell Westbrook had 12 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists, while Carmelo Anthony scored eight of his 17 points in the pivotal first quarter.

Oklahoma City went from down four to a 20-8 lead on George's jumper with 4:16 left in the first. It was essentially over from there, especially with the way Westbrook kept finding driving lanes.

The reigning MVP dished off to Steven Adams in the paint when he wasn't taking it to the hoop himself. Adams finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Jerami Grant added 17 points off the bench for the Thunder.

Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo had 28 points on 9-of-14 shooting. But the NBA's scoring leader spent much of the first quarter on the bench with two fouls, and the Bucks struggled from the 3-point line, opening 1 of 14.

No other Buck scored in double figures.

The star-laden Thunder taught a lesson to the up-and-coming Bucks, who hope to contend in the Eastern Conference (see full recap).

Balanced Lakers roll over Pistons
LOS ANGELES -- Julius Randle scored 17 points, Lonzo Ball added 13 and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Detroit Pistons 113-93 on Tuesday night.

Larry Nance Jr. had 14 points and 12 rebounds for his third double-double for the Lakers, who had lost the previous three games against the Pistons. Brandon Ingram and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope each had 13 points.

Tobias Harris and Reggie Jackson each had 18 points for the Pistons, who were unable to sweep their three-game California road trip. Andre Drummond had 10 points and 12 rebounds.

Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy was unsure about how his team might handle the adulation associated with a surprising 5-2 start, and those concerns proved to be well-founded as the Lakers took a 58-45 halftime lead when Brook Lopez hit a 3-pointer as the buzzer expired.

Rookie Kyle Kuzma had 10 points off the bench in the second quarter, making 4 of 5 shots and knocking down both of his 3-pointers as the Lakers pushed their lead to as much as 14 (see full recap).

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