Behind 28 points and 19 rebounds from Deandre Ayton, the visiting Phoenix Suns rallied from down 10 points at halftime to beat the Chicago Bulls 112-104 on Saturday.
Phoenix, playing the second leg of a back-to-back, began its current, three-game road swing on Friday trying unsuccessfully to mount a second-half comeback at reigning NBA champion Toronto. Saturday's contest in Chicago followed a different arc. Chicago led by as many as 17 points in the second quarter. Coby White came off the bench to set the pace, finishing with a career-high 33 points.
Suns fight back
But the Suns chipped away before halftime, then set the tone for the second half by scoring the third quarter's first 13 points. A 10-point deficit became a three-point lead in less than four minutes.
Phoenix took its first lead since the first quarter when Devin Booker knocked down a 3-pointer, one of the five he made on the night en route to a team-high 29 points. Booker also collected five rebounds and five assists. With Booker operating on the perimeter and Ayton dominating on the interior — a performance that included 10 offensive rebounds — the Suns outscored the Bulls in the second half 65-47.
Rubio flirts with triple-double
Ricky Rubio flirted with a triple-double for Phoenix with 18 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds. His seven boards were second to Ayton's 19, and contributed to Phoenix's 47-38 rebound edge for the game.
Phoenix held Chicago to 43.4 percent shooting from the floor, though the Bulls finished 36.8 percent from behind the 3-point arc. White's 7-for-13 performance from 3-point range led the way, with Thaddeus Young going 3 of 5 from deep en route to 13 points.
Zach LaVine scored 20 points for the Bulls, but shot just 8 of 20 from the floor and 2 of 8 from behind the arc. LaVine finished with a team-high five assists, but committed another team high with seven turnovers. The Sun forced the Bulls into 25 turnovers overall.
