In a season of lows, the Suns were about to head underground.

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At home Saturday night, they were on their way to a loss to the Charlotte Bobcats, the NBA’s worst team that came to Phoenix with a 10-game losing streak, their top three scorers out hurt, the NBA’s third-worst offense and the second-worst defense.

Naturally, it would take Steve Nash and Marcin Gortat to save the day, right? Actually, this night saw Michael Redd go from out of the rotation to being the leading scorer and an all-reserve lineup led by Robin Lopez’s play extend the fourth-quarter lead and send the Suns to a 95-89 victory at US Airways Center.

Redd, starting in place of injured guard Jared Dudley (bruised thigh), led the Suns with 17 points, but that all came before the Suns rallied to the lead in the fourth.

Four of the Suns’ 10 3-pointers came consecutively in the second half, putting the Suns back in front for the first time since the second quarter. The final two 3s came from Markieff Morris to tie score at the end of the third quarter and Josh Childress for the Suns’ first second-half lead at 75-72 with 9:25 to play.

“A lot of guys, myself included, were like, ‘There’s no way we can lose this game,’ ” Childress said. “It was a must-win.”

From there, Lopez came out of a funk — which included him being suspended, benched and barely used — to score nine consecutive points for an 84-74 Suns lead with 5:50 remaining. Lopez finished with 13 points and six rebounds in 19 minutes, his third double-digit scoring game of the season.

“I just tried to go out and be aggressive, the hit the boards and play some defense,” Lopez said. “I was just in the right spot at the time right time in some places.”

The Suns’ past two wins have come with rallies from double-digit deficits against the worst team from each conference. The win also snapped Phoenix’s four-game losing streak against Charlotte, which usually gets a big game from Boris Diaw (13 points, three rebounds, three assists, five turnovers) against the Suns.

The entire Suns bench had a big turnaround from the previous night’s loss in Houston, when the Rockets bench was the difference. On Saturday night, the Suns reserves outscored the Bobcats reserves 40-14.

“The energy level was where it should be,” Suns coach Alvin Gentry said. “We did a really good job of picking up the tempo offensively, and I thought we really picked it up defensively.”

Redd missed his first four shots and then made six of his final eight to score 17 in 24 minutes. He sank four of seven 3s.

“To come back, through the tears, through the hurt, through the hours of rehab, training to come back and accomplish this, is maybe the proudest moment of my career,” Redd said.

Gortat’s 12-point, 12-rebound effort gave him 15 consecutive double-digit rebound games, tying Minnesota’s Kevin Love for the longest streak in the NBA season.

The Suns’ typical second-quarter offensive struggles put them in a 48-42 halftime hole, and it worsened to a 54-44 Bobcats lead before Gentry called timeout. The Suns emerged with a 7-0 run, including five by Redd.

“It’s weird how you play a back-to-back (set) and we had better energy tonight than we did last night,” Suns forward Grant Hill said. “Obviously, Houston’s a better team, but I thought we just didn’t come out with the energy in the first half (Friday night). The fourth quarter (Saturday) was just great basketball.”

Suns report

Key player: Suns center Robin Lopez scored all the points in a 9-0 run that gave the Suns an 84-74 lead in the fourth quarter.

Key moment: After a timeout with Charlotte taking a 54-44 lead to start the second half, the Suns got five defensive stops in a row to get back in the game.

Key number: 10. Suns’ 3-pointers, their second-most this season.

View from press row

It made a lot of sense to give Michael Redd the start at shooting guard Saturday night with Jared Dudley out. Alvin Gentry has wanted to give Redd better time. Redd has been a career starter. It kept rotations intact. The Suns already experimented with Ronnie Price there. Redd finished the Dallas and Houston blowouts well. And despite Saturday’s struggles against Charlotte, that is the opponent to try something new against.

Suns coach Alvin Gentry has an ideal description for Jared Dudley’s play — parasitic.

Dudley is the NBA’s parasite. He using his hustle, savvy and opportunity to benefit at the expense of those who are less engaged. The latest example has been his play since returning to the starting lineup. He has feasted off being fouled, took advantage of point guard Steve Nash creating open 3-point shots and using angles and reads to get to balls against players who are bigger or quicker.

The Suns had to go without that Saturday night, when Dudley sat out the Suns’ home game against Charlotte because of a thigh bruise. Dudley has scored at least 15 points in each of the four starts he has made since a five-game bench stint. He went from averaging 5.8 points as a reserve to averaging 16.3 in those four starts.

“This is what I was supposed to do,” Dudley said. “I expected to do this just because I know I can shoot the ball, and I know I can play, especially with Steve and this offense. I think I’ve even added a dimension where I can get to the basket to drop off and make my teammates better.”

The Suns are 5-3 when Dudley scores 15, but that scoring was inconsistent on his first go-around as starter this season, when he opened it in a shooting slump. Dudley has made eight of his past 15 3s, bolstering his career-best season for scoring (10.8) and rebounding (4.1) averages.

Dudley shot 3 for 13 in the first two games, both losses, and did not score in the second game against Philadelphia — a remarkable no-no for a starting shooting guard .

“The chemistry in the first part of the season was tough,” Dudley said. “Guys were staying home close (to me on defense). I’ve had a lot more space and been able to put the ball down better. Once you hit a couple, it’s confidence. I told you in the beginning of the year that you go by percentages. At the end of the year, I’m going to be shooting a good percentage.”

Dudley had scored 23 of his 65 points over the previous four games at the free-throw line. It was the first time in his career that he shot at least four free throws in four consecutive games.

“It’s something I’ve worked on, and my free-throw percentage (81.4) has gotten better,” Dudley said. “That’s something I worked on, and that makes you even more aggressive. It’s hard for me to get all the way to the basket because I’m not the fastest guy. Usually someone’s on my hip and (I) try to do what the whole NBA does — flop and … pray for a call. I did theater in seventh, eighth, ninth and 10th grades, so I have to pay off for those classes.”

Guard Michael Redd started in Dudley’s place Saturday night, getting his first start with Phoenix in 10 appearances.

Free throws

- Suns center Marcin Gortat has a chance to become the seventh Suns player to average at least 15 points and 10 rebounds in a season. One of the others was current Charlotte coach Paul Silas. Charles Barkley (four times), Shawn Marion (three) and Neal Walk (two) did it multiple times, and Connie Hawkins and Maurice Lucas also each did it once.

- The Suns have played 23 games in this lockout-shortened season. The NBA’s previous lockout-shortened schedule, in 1999, tipped off on this date — Feb. 5.

- This season is the 20th for US Airways Center. The Suns have a losing record at home this season but have the fourth-best home record in the NBA since the arena opened with in 1992-93, when the Suns reached the NBA Finals. They have won more than 70 percent of their home games.

Each week, a member of the Suns talks about some topics outside of Suns games. This week: Suns guard Sebastian Telfair.

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Profile: Sebastian Telfair

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Question: Why do you look and point upward each time you take the floor, whether it is checking in or out of a huddle?

Answer: I’ve been doing that a long time. I won’t tell you what I say, but it’s kind of like a prayer to my grandma.

Q: What is your favorite spot in Brooklyn?

A: My favorite spot would be Coney Island Nathan’s.

Q: So you’re a big Coney Island dog fan?

A: Yeah, that’s definitely required when you grow up there. It’s a summer tradition. The history there, and you got the boardwalk and the beach and the amusement park.

Q: Do you like the roller coasters?

A: I’m not in love with roller coasters. I would get on some, but I’m not in love with them.

Q: Where have you enjoyed living the most out of your six NBA stops?

A: I would have to say it’s a mixture of Minneapolis and Phoenix. In Minneapolis, it was quiet but it had nice restaurants and it had a little nightlife if you wanted to get out. But nothing is topping Phoenix with all the restaurants, and the weather we have is amazing.

Q: Looking back, what do you think about the book (The Jump) and the documentary film (“Through the Fire”) that were done about your transition from high school to the NBA?

A: I’ve got mixed feelings about it. I still think it’s pretty cool to have the experiences and … get the opportunity to do a documentary and have a book. I think the documentary is a lot cooler than the book.

Q: Without input on the book, how did you feel reading it?

A: I could take being misportrayed, but I can’t take lies. Other than that, I’m OK with it.

Q: What would have happened if you had gone to Louisville?

A: Who knows? I think I would’ve got a championship in college. … They went to the Final Four during my rookie year. With me, it would’ve put them over the hump.

Updated Feb 3, 2012 11:05 PM ET

Marcin Gortat had 15 points and 12 rebounds and Shannon Brown scored 12 for the Suns, who’ve lost five of their last seven. Houston had a 49-39 rebounding edge and held Steve Nash to six points and nine assists.

The Rockets’ reserves scored 50 points and pulled down 23 rebounds. They also preserved Houston’s big lead in the second half to let the starters rest before Saturday night’s game in Minnesota.

Nash had four assists in the first six minutes, and the Suns took an early 14-13 lead. Nash and Grant Hill went out for a rest with 3:50 left in the first quarter, and Houston finished with a 15-6 spurt to take a 30-20 lead.

The Rockets’ reserves shot and rebounded well early in the second quarter to preserve the double-digit margin. Nash and Grant Hill returned, but Houston stayed in control, stretching the lead to 45-28 on Budinger’s 3-pointer from the corner.

Houston’s bench scored 21 points in the second quarter, and the Rockets led 59-39 at the break. Houston outrebounded Phoenix 29-18 in the first half, with Luis Scola, Lowry and Patterson grabbing six boards apiece.

The Suns’ offense continued to sputter in the third quarter, even with Nash on the floor. Phoenix started the second half 4 for 10 from the field, and the deficit hovered around 20.

Phoenix couldn’t slow Houston much, either. The Rockets shot 43 percent (9 for 21) in the quarter and led 80-61, despite five turnovers.

Most of the starters from both teams sat out the final quarter, getting valuable rest since both play again Saturday. The Suns fly home to meet Charlotte, then face a demanding two-day trip with games in Atlanta on Monday and Milwaukee on Tuesday.

The Rockets held Phoenix to 19 points in the fourth to win for the 21st consecutive time when holding their opponent below 90 points.

Notes: The Rockets’ first-half points total was a season high. … Houston sent first-round draft pick Marcus Morris to Rio Grande Valley, the team’s developmental league partner. The 6-foot-9 Morris was selected by Houston with the 14th overall pick, just after his twin brother Markieff was taken by Phoenix. Morris sprained his left ankle in a D-league game on Jan. 12, but general manager Daryl Morey says Morris is cleared to play. Morris has averaged 22 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists in four starts for Rio Grande Valley this season. … The Suns are 1-13 when trailing at halftime. … Phoenix lost to the Rockets for only the seventh time in the past 22 meetings.

Suns (8-13) at Rockets (12-10)

C: Marcin Gortat … Samuel Dalembert

PF: Channing Frye … Luis Scola

SF: Grant Hill … Chandler Parsons

SG: Jared Dudley … Kevin Martin

PG: Steve Nash … Kyle Lowry

Key Rockets reserves: Goran Dragic, Jordan Hill, Courtney Lee, Patrick Patterson and Chase Budinger.

On to the Orange Slices:

* With Wednesday’s win and a home game Saturday night against Charlotte, tonight’s game is the key to putting together a three-game winning streak for the first time this season. The back end of a back-to-back is always tough (the Suns are 2-3 in them this season) but the Bobcats are only 3-20 and are missing top scorer Gerald Henderson, although Boris Diaw surely will save his best game for Phoenix on Saturday night.

The Suns had beaten tonight’s opponent, Houston, in seven consecutive meetings until their last game at Toyota Center, a 95-93 loss when Steve Nash was out and Jared Dudley missed a 3-pointer to win.

* Suns forward Grant Hill did not play the second half of Wednesday night’s win at New Orleans due to soreness in his right knee, the one that underwent surgery in September. He will return to action tonight and start. The knee had bothered him since Monday morning’s shootaround. Until Wednesday, Hill had averaged 12.3 points over a seven-game stretch.

Hill not only is playing but takes on the key assignment of defending Houston shooting guard Kevin Martin, the leading scorer on the NBA’s No. 5 scoring offense. Martin has averaged 29.2 points in his last six appearances, although the missed two late January games with a foot injury. He returned from the injury and scored 29 in each of the Rockets’ past two games, ones that Houston lost despite his 10-for-17 3-point shooting.

* Sebastian Telfair has posted his three highest scoring games of the season in the past four games but Wednesday night feature more of what Telfair needs to be offensively.

Telfair carried the offense with a stretch of nine straight Suns points at the end of the third quarter but he also was a distributor in the first quarter, running two clean pick-and-rolls with Marcin Gortat and throwing an alleyoop pass to Josh Childress. New Orleans took the lead during his first-half time but that had more to do with the big men on the floor getting beat by Emeka Okafor’s and Gustavo Ayon’s activity.

“I’ve got to pick my spots when I’m looking to be the scorer for the second unit,” Telfair said. “I definitely have to be aggressive. A lot of our plays are set up for everyone to be aggressive. When you don’t take open shots, it breaks down everything we’re doing. I definitely have to be the one to put some points on the board for us.”

Telfair has the quirky stat line of being a 31.3 percent shooter from the field overall but a 45.5 percent shooter on 3-pointers. That 3-point clip is second best on the team to Markieff Morris (although Steve Nash is not above 40 at 40.3) but Telfair has a small sample size — 10 for 22.

* One of the biggest contributors to Steve Nash’s 30-point, 10-assist game Wednesday was three days off.
His bruised left thigh needed it to free his mobility.

“I felt pretty good,” Nash said. “The leg was really sore and stiff but in really rare times and positions. It didn’t bother me much and the pad protected it well. I had some energy in my legs from a couple days off.”

* Houston rookie Marcus Morris was assigned to the D-League today and headed for Rio Grande Valley this morning. Morris had been excited on Thursday about the chance to watch his best friend and twin brother, Markieff, play tonight. He said he was going to wear his only suit, his draft-night one, for the occasion. The twins did get to share a Thursday night dinner, the first time they have spent together since the lockout ended. There will be a story more about their relationship that will be on the site on Sunday.

* The Suns canceled a scheduled Thursday practice after having to stay in New Orleans overnight after Wednesday’s game. Fog in Houston nixed the Suns’ usual itinerary of flying to the next city after a game.

* Since returning to the starting lineup, Dudley is averaging 16.7 points over those three games and has made six of 11 3-pointers and 20 of 23 free throws.

* Two nicknames have stuck to Goran Dragic in going from Phoenix to Houston – his nicknames.

Dragic gets more attention for them in Houston. More people call him “Gogi,” a Slovenian nickname that was more common in his homeland than Phoenix. And the nickname “Dragon” has taken on new life in Houston, where they flash a dragon on the video screen at high points for him.

“It is the Year of the Dragon,” Dragic points out for the Chinese New Year.

Indeed, it is.

Dragic faced Phoenix twice last season soon after the trade in two games that were six days apart. The teams split and Dragic went 0 for 5 in 20 minutes of play with six points, four assists and three turnovers.

“I know Steve’s game and he knows my game,” Dragic said of facing Nash tonight. “But he’s going to be tough with all those pick-and-rolls. I know I’m going to get hit by big guys but I’ll try to play my game. Marcin, we know what he’s going to do. Set the screen, roll hard, dunk. Hopefully, Channing and Jared don’t have a hot hand.”

* Phoenix Phactoid Pharaoh Vince Kozar matched Steve Nash’s doozy of a game with a doozy of a phactoid. Nash became of seven players in NBA history to make 13 or more field goals on 16 or fewer attempts in a double-digit assist game. The others were Deron Williams, Gary Payton, Ray Allen (yeah, he had 10 assists), Mark Price, Pooh Richardson and Magic Johnson.

The always optimistic Pharaoh also points out that the Suns are 1-0 in February.

Post your comments on the game below:

DALLAS – Don’t hold your breath waiting for the return of the uptempo, fun-and-gun Suns offense.

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The shot clock might expire if you do.

As much as Suns coach Alvin Gentry has implored his team to run more with the ball, winning the past two games with a total of 170 points for the first time since November 2002 just might say more about who this season’s Suns are as they hit the quarter pole in Dallas Monday night.

Between heavy roster turnover since the 2010 conference finals team and a lockout dragging down the league’s offense, the Suns play at a pace that is below the NBA average and score 12.1 fewer points per game than last season. But with two wins in a row, there is less reason to panic and hit the offense’s fast-forward button.

“We are a different team,” Suns point guard Steve Nash said. “We aren’t the same players, and collectively we really don’t have the same mentality. It’s easy to say we are going to be a running team, but it’s something that has to be ingrained and understood. We’ve got a lot of new guys. Not just this year, but last year. So the amount of guys we had on this team when we were a running team is few (five carryovers). We’re a different team. We’re better defensively.”

The Suns are holding opponents to 44.2 percent shooting this season, ranking them 16th for opponent field-goal percentage entering Sunday’s games. Monday night, they have a chance to build on that with Dallas star Dirk Nowitzki being held out for conditioning work.

The entire league is suffering offensively from a rushed, belated and shortened preseason. Teams are scoring 5.1 fewer points per game (99.6 last season to 94.5 this season) and shooting less accurately (45.9 percent last season to 44.2 this season). The fall has been more exaggerated with the Suns, whose rapid pace last season accrued the fourth-most offensive possessions in the NBA.

“Maybe the identity is changing a little bit,” Suns forward Grant Hill said. “Maybe it’s just one of those weird years.”

On Friday night, the Suns beat Boston 79-71 and took only 69 shots in the game. The Suns took fewer than 70 shots in a game once last season and had not won a game doing so since January 2009.

The Celtics, missing Rajon Rondo, were more upset about the game’s slow pace than the Suns.

“It’s funny — they’re a running team, but they didn’t want to run it, either,” Boston coach Doc Rivers said. “They used the clock 23 seconds every possession, it felt like. And that slowed the game down. But they were making half their shots. So it turned the game into, I mean, it was a snail pace, really.”

According to 82games.com, the Suns take 38 percent of their shots in the first 10 seconds of the shot clock as opposed to 41 percent over the past two seasons. It has been a steady decline since 2004-05, when the Suns took 48 percent of their shots in the first 10 seconds of possession.

The Suns still want to push the ball more to get easier shots and better 3-point shots in transition. The 3-point shooting percentage of 33.8 percent is far off the club’s recent standard because Channing Frye (33.9 percent), Jared Dudley (34.1), Shannon Brown (29.7) and Hill (5.9) all are converting below expectations.

“We’re definitely still searching for more cohesion,” Nash said. “We didn’t have much time to practice. We got ready the best we could. We weren’t really as ready as we needed to be and now we’re trying to catch up but it’s difficult.

“We’ve got to find a way to run a little bit more and do the other things that we’re doing better.”

BOSTON – If Boston rookie big man Greg Stiemsma had not experienced his welcome-to-the-NBA moment, he probably did not expect it to come against Suns center Marcin Gortat.

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There often is that regrettable yet memorable play for each young player when he discovers what an elite skill level he has entered in the NBA.

On Friday night, Gortat already had scored 12 consecutive Suns first-quarter points when he received the ball on the extended post with Stiemsma on his back. Gortat’s spin move to the baseline froze Stiemsma for a score.

“Polish shake,” Suns forward Grant Hill said in deference to the “Dream Shake” of Hakeem Olajuwon, who taught moves to Gortat for a week in June.

The Suns have lacked a go-to scorer who creates his own shot since last season, but Gortat at least has proven to be a reliable, efficient scorer. Steve Nash is creating more scores than any NBA player, averaging 10.0 assists per game, and leads the Suns in scoring with 14.8 points per game, but his pick-and-roll partner, Gortat, is up to 14.7.

“I know where to put myself in the position to score,” Gortat said. “Having Steve going to the bucket every time hard, then I’m going to be open or the other way around, and I’m going to draw attention on my roll. That’s a pretty good combination. I like that.”

Since a splint was removed from his right thumb, which had sustained a hairline fracture, Gortat has averaged 17.0 points and 11.2 rebounds in nine games. His 59.9 percent shooting leads the NBA.

If the Suns’ record improves, Gortat could be an All-Star candidate in a shallow pool of West centers. It would be a fitting return to Orlando, where he spent 3½ seasons as Dwight Howard’s understudy.

“I don’t really care about that,” Gortat said. “My thoughts are not on All-Star. I’d rather take a rest. I don’t think I’m going to make it. I care if my team is going to win.”

Gortat does not lack for motivation. An acquaintance criticized his play in New York, stirring him into a 24-point, 12-rebound performance Friday night at Boston, his seventh consecutive double-double and third 20-10 game in an eight-day span.

Gortat, 27, is far from a perfect center, but he has come so far in his first season as an NBA starter. He is hesitant to dunk for fear of reinjuring the thumb and missing the season. He knows it would help the team if he drew more fouls (2.2 free-throw attempts per game) and made more free throws (63.6 percent shooting from the line). He is a key to improving the defense, which he boosts with 1.6 blocks per game. He is needed to turn around the team’s rebounding issues.

“I still believe I can do better,” Gortat said of his 9.3 rebound average. “Every time I see Dwight Howard and his numbers, those numbers are out the roof. I want to reach 20. Because Coach told me if I have 20, then I’ll be able to shoot 3s. Trust me, I’m aiming for that. If I get 20, the next possession is a 3.”

Offensively, Gortat has shown more offensive variety than being set up for layups. He has a mid-range jumper and made four of four left-handed shots, layups and hooks, in Friday’s first quarter. A strong left hand, engrained in him by European coaches, is what carried him through the frustrating first six games with the splint.

Gortat still is not a player that teams focus on eliminating defensively.

“Some of them know I can play, but they still defend me the way they always defended me,” Gortat said. “They still treat me like an Orlando backup. That’s fine. At the end of the day, I’m going to smile.”

Updated Jan 20, 2012 11:38 PM ET

Gortat finished with 24 points and 12 rebounds, and Steve Nash had 11 points and nine assists to lead Phoenix to a 79-71 victory over Boston on Friday night. The Suns won their second straight road game, having snapped a five-game losing streak by beating the Knicks on Wednesday.

”Steve put on a show, and people found me in the right spots,” Gortat said. ”We have to start winning. We tripped a couple of times at home. Now we need to make it up on the road.”

Gortat, who was one short of his career high in points, helped the Suns jump to a 16-8 lead with 10 of the game’s first 24 points, then he added a pair of layups at the end of the first.

The Celtics took a brief lead, 53-50, midway through the third quarter before Phoenix scored the next 12 points. After Mickael Pietrus hit a 3-pointer from the left corner to make it 76-71, Gortat lumbered down the lane and drew a foul from Kevin Garnett before sinking two free throws to clinch it.

It was Gortat’s seventh consecutive double-double.

Ray Allen had 14 points and six rebounds for the Celtics, who lost for the sixth time in seven games and fell to 0-4 against the Western Conference. Playing without Rajon Rondo, their most consistent starter this year, the Celtics had their lowest-scoring game of the season.

”We should be better than that,” Rivers said. ”It’s on me. If one guy doesn’t play, you should be able to play through it.”

Paul Pierce scored 12 points with six assists and Garnett had 10 points and five rebounds. Avery Bradley scored 10 points with four rebounds and one assist while filling in for Rondo, who was injured Wednesday night when he took a hard foul from Toronto’s Linas Kleiza while going to the basket.

An MRI was negative. Rivers wouldn’t put a timetable on Rondo’s return, though the point guard was hoping to be back for Sunday’s game against the Washington Wizards.

Keyon Dooling missed his fifth straight game with a right knee injury.

The Celtics finished with 20 assists – same as the Suns – but just four from three different players at the point.

”We didn’t have our starting point guard. We didn’t have our backup point guard,” Rivers said, adding that he tried to run plays through Pierce, Garnett and Marquis Daniels. ”I mean, we were just searching.”

The Suns led by 11 at halftime. Boston went on a 14-2 run in the middle of the third quarter, taking a 53-50 lead on Pietrus’ 3-pointer. With Boston still up by 3, the Suns scored 12 straight points to take a 64-55 lead early in the fourth.

Notes: Former Boston College star Jared Dudley scored 12 points in 19 minutes as a reserve for Phoenix. … New England Patriots players Deion Branch and Patrick Chung took in the game from courtside. … Boston C Jermaine O’Neal played in his 900th NBA game. … With Rondo out, Garnett and Brandon Bass are the only Celtics to have played in every game this season. … Boston snapped a five-game slide on Wednesday night. … It was the Suns’ first time winning consecutive road games all season. … Allen had gone three straight games without scoring in double digits.

Marcin Gortat scored 24 points with 12 rebounds and Steve Nash had 11 points and nine assists on Friday night to lead the Phoenix Suns to a 79-71 victory over the Boston Celtics.
The Suns won their second straight after a five-game losing streak.
Playing without point guard Rajon Rondo, the team’s most consistent starter this year, the Celtics had their lowest-scoring game of the season. They lost for the sixth time in seven games and fell to 0-4 against the Western Conference.
Ray Allen led the Celtics with 14 points and six rebounds.
Former Boston College star Jared Dudley scored 12 points in 19 minutes as a reserve for Phoenix. Grant Hill had nine points and eight rebounds.
Paul Pierce scored 12 points with six assists and Kevin Garnett had 10 points and five rebounds. Avery Bradley scored 10 points with four rebounds and one assist in his first start of the season as a fill-in for Rondo, who missed his first game because of a sore right wrist.
Rondo was injured Wednesday night when he took a hard foul from Toronto’s Linas Kleiza while going to the basket. An MRI was negative.
Celtics coach Doc Rivers wouldn’t put a timetable on Rondo’s return, though the point guard was hoping to be back for Sunday’s game against the Washington Wizards.
It was the seventh consecutive double-double for Gortat. After Mickael Pietrus hit a 3-pointer from the left corner to make it 76-71, Gortat lumbered down the lane and drew a foul from Garnett before sinking two free throws to clinch it.
The Suns led by 11 at halftime. Boston went on a 14-2 run in the middle of the third quarter, taking a 53-50 lead on Pietrus’ 3-pointer. With Boston still up by 3, the Suns scored 12 consecutive points to take a 64-55 lead early in the fourth.
Notes: Gortat had 14 points and four rebounds in the first quarter. … New England Patriots players Deion Branch and Patrick Chung took in the game from courtside. … Boston C Jermaine O’Neal played in his 900th NBA game. … With Rondo out, Garnett and Brandon Bass are the only Celtics to have played in every game this season. … Boston snapped a five-game slide on Wednesday night. … It was the Suns’ first time winning consecutive road games all season. … Allen had gone three straight games without scoring in double digits.

BOSTON – The Suns just needed to visit some NBA arenas where opponents are allowed to win or the tenants are playing bad basketball.

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The Suns’ five-game losing streak has been followed by a two-game road win streak after the Suns grinded out a win Friday night that would be considered ugly if it was not so rare.

The Suns downed Boston 79-71 at TD Garden, marking the first time they have won a game with fewer than 80 points since November 2002 (75-72 at Denver).

The Celtics (5-9) are struggling like New York, Wednesday’s victim, and were without point guard Rajon Rondo because of a wrist injury.

The Suns (6-9) started this daunting five-game trip with losses at San Antonio and Chicago, which entered Friday night undefeated at home, but held New York to 37.2 percent shooting Wednesday and allowed 40.5 percent shooting to Boston. The Suns needed every Celtics miss, as they committed a season-high 23 turnovers.

“Our defense, I know it almost makes you guys pass out when I say Phoenix Suns and defense, but we have gotten a lot better defensively, and the reason we can stay in games now is because of our defense,” Suns coach Alvin Gentry said.

Boston’s “Big 3″ of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen made 14 of 35 shots, with Allen, the leading scorer, taking only eight shots against a defense that began with Ronnie Price guarding him.

The Suns jumped ahead early with NBA field-goal percentage leader Marcin Gortat scoring their final 14 points of the first quarter, a total that matched Allen’s team-high 14 for the game. Suns point guard Steve Nash spoon-fed center Gortat baskets when Boston’s attention was on Nash coming off screens. Still, Gortat also made tough shots, including two hooks and a spin move that would have made his summer tutor, Hakeem Olajuwon, proud.

“I was aggressive,” Gortat said. “Those points aren’t only because of me. My teammates had great position. They spread the floor for me. Steve hit me on the rolls. At the end of the game, maybe I had one or two putbacks. That’s the only thing I did by myself. They helped me to score. Next time, somebody else will score.”

Gortat finished with 24 points, one shy of his career high, on 10-of-18 shooting and added 12 rebounds.

Gortat has recorded seven consecutive double-doubles and posted three 20-point, 10-rebound games in the past five contests.

Jared Dudley (12 points) and Nash (11) were the only other Suns in double figures, and both hit clutch perimeter shots down the stretch. Nash added nine assists.

“He (Nash) is the motor that drives the car,” Gentry said. “He’s everything for us.”

The Suns’ second unit made 12 of 26 shots, helping the Suns stretch the lead to double figures in the second quarter.

The Suns lost their lead in the third quarter when they managed only four points for the first 8½ minutes. Boston had momentum, but the Suns showed resolve, going on a 12-0 run that bridged the end of the third quarter and the start of the fourth.

The run included blocked shots from Gortat and Nash and steals by Grant Hill, Sebastian Telfair (twice) and Robin Lopez.

Report

Key player

Suns center Marcin Gortat had 24 points and 12 rebounds, his seventh consecutive double-double.

Key moment

After surrendering the lead in the third quarter, the Suns went on a 14-0 run over six minutes and included two blocks and four steals.

Key number

+14: The Suns’ rebound differential Friday night after entering the game with a league-worst minus-4.9 differential seventh consecutive double-double included average.

View from press row

This probably was why Alvin Gentry was hesitant to throw rookie Markieff Morris into the starting lineup. Morris has been the most impressive rookie big man in the NBA this season but had done it against a lot of second-stringers. His propensity for bad passes continued Friday night. He also did not make a shot, but he gets a pass after coming off a stomach virus and being a rookie. He has proven to be a smart player and will figure things out.