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

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Photos from the game | Box score | Twitter updates

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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.

Read More: Alvin Gentry (H – PHO), Phoenix Suns

The Phoenix Suns didn’t make it easy on themselves but a strong showing from the second unit to start the fourth quarter gave them the separation needed to get a victory over the Charlotte Bobcats.

The Bobcats pushed their halftime lead to ten points early in the third quarter before Alvin Gentry called a time out. From that point on the Suns had the game tied at the end of three and were up 10 halfway through the fourth quarter.

The hero of the night was Robin Lopez who scored 13 points to go along with six rebounds and solid defense in his 19 minutes of play. Josh Childress was strong as well as the bench was able to allow Steve Nash to rest until the four minute mark.

“The major problem was when Lopez came in,” Bobcats coach Paul Silas said, “We didn’t box him out and it really just changed the whole game around.”

The Suns held the Bobcats to and just 17 points in the fourth quarter with about half of those coming in the final desperate minutes. Phoenix was led by Michael Redd who got the start in place of the injured Jared Dudley. Redd finished with 17 points on 6-12 shooting. Rookie point guard Kemba Walker had 22 points for Charlotte.

The much-needed home win gives the Suns a 9-14 record on the season while the Bobcats fall to 3-21. The Suns now travel to Atlanta to face the Hawks on Monday and then to Milwaukee to meet the Bucks on Tuesday.

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Read More: Andrea Bargnani (F – TOR), Markieff Morris (F – PHO), Phoenix Suns, Toronto Raptors, Toronto Raptors at Phoenix Suns, Jan 24, 2012 7:00 PM MST

The Phoenix Suns really needed to get a home win against a 4-13 Toronto Raptors team. Second of a back-to-back coming off a five-game road trip or not, this was a game the Suns needed and blew thanks mostly to another horrible third quarter (see also Dallas, game, loss). The final score in the miserable affair was 99-96 and dropped the Suns to 6-11 on the season.

The Suns took a four-point lead into the second half thanks to 53 percent shooting show and capable defense against one of the league’s worst offensive teams. Then things fell apart and fast as the Suns gave up 18 points to Andrea Bargnani in the third quarter with the skilled Italian put another page rookie Markieff Morris’ “NBA Defense” lesson book.

The energy and chemistry was horrific at the end of the third and start of the fourth until Alvin Gentry called a timeout and threatened, cajoled or otherwise motivated the Suns into showing signs of life. The push cut into a 12-point Raptors lead with the Suns finally showing the kind of fight they needed to have for the entire 48 minutes.

Things got a little interesting in the final minute when Jared Dudley (finally) hit a three to cut the Raptors lead to four and then stole an inbound pass and dunked the ball to cut the margin only two points with 23 seconds on the clock.

But Bargnani made his two free throws after being intentionally fouled and Nash missed a fairly open layup to end the Suns’ chances of a miracle comeback in a game they didn’t deserve to win.

Steve Nash finished with 17 points and 14 assists and Marcin Gortat had his ninth-straight double-double with 21 points and 12 rebounds. Bargnani scored 36 points in his first game back after missing the last five due to injury. Leandro Barbosa added 19 against his old team.

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DALLAS
– Shawn Marion scored a season-high 29 points and the short-handed Dallas Mavericks stretched their home winning streak to seven games with a 93-87 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Monday night.

Marion, who entered with five 3-pointers all season, went 4 of 6 from behind the arc and 11 for 20 from the field.

Top scorer Dirk Nowitzki and key reserve Vince Carter remain out for the defending NBA champion Mavericks (11-7), who returned home from a 2-2 road trip.

Grant Hill scored a season-high 19 points for Phoenix and Marcin Gortat had 19 points and 17 rebounds, his eighth consecutive double-double. Shannon Brown added 14 points for the Suns, who have lost six of eight.

Phoenix has dropped its last nine games at Dallas.

Ian Mahinmi had 17 points and nine rebounds for the Mavericks.

Nowitzki missed his second game in what has been projected as a four-game stretch to work on his conditioning and allow his sore right knee to improve.

Carter sat out his fourth consecutive game with a sprained left foot.

Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said Nowitzki went through two conditioning sessions on Monday. The MVP of last year’s NBA finals will be monitored as the week goes on to determine his progress.

Carlisle said the German star could miss more than four games depending on how much improvement he shows.

“There’s some conditioning and some things with the knee that need to be resolved,” Carlisle said.

Dallas continues to play tough defense, holding an opponent under 100 points in its 15th straight game to extend its franchise record.

Marion’s nine points sparked a 10-2 third-quarter run. Marion, who had 14 points in the third quarter, converted a three-point play, then hit consecutive 3-pointers to give Dallas a 70-55 advantage with 4:41 left in the quarter.

Phoenix ended the third quarter with six unanswered points, narrowing the deficit to 74-65.

Sebastien Telfair of the Suns was tagged with a flagrant foul with 7:07 left in the third quarter, earning an automatic ejection when he hit Dallas’ Roddy Beaubois in the face and hauled him to the floor on Beaubois’ layup attempt.

Beaubois made both foul shots, and when Dallas got the ball back, Lamar Odom’s basket extended the Mavericks’ edge to 88-74.

The Suns made one last push when Steve Nash hit a 16-footer with 2:16 left to narrow the gap to 91-84.

But Marion’s basket with 35 seconds remaining extended Dallas’ lead to 93-84, closing out the Suns.

Dallas was up at halftime, 49-46, with Brendan Haywood having already set a season high with 10 points. Marion led the way for Dallas with 12, the same total as Hill.

NOTES: Marion’s previous season high was 22 points at Utah last Thursday. … Dallas set a season high with a 32-point first quarter. … Former Dallas Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith sat courtside with his wife, Pat.