Suns get big night from bench, cruise past Heat 106-86

<p>PHOENIX &mdash; Deandre Ayton had 19 points and 13 rebounds and the Phoenix Suns got 65 points from their bench on the way to a 106-86 victory over the Miami Heat on Tuesday night.</p>
<p>Cam Payne banked a layup high off the glass with less than a second left to give the Suns an 83-72 lead heading into the fourth. It was part of a big night for the Suns’ reserves, which was the biggest reason they were able to slowly pull away from the Heat in the second half.</p>
<p>Four bench players scored in double figures, including Cam Johnson (15 points), Payne (14), Torrey Craig (14) and Dario Saric (13). That offset a fairly quiet night for the Suns’ All-Star backcourt of Devin Booker and Chris Paul.</p>
<p>Booker finished with 12 points and Paul had five points and nine assists.</p>
<p>The Suns have won 10 of their last 11 games, including three in a row. They improved to 39-15. The Heat fell to 28-26.</p>
<p>Phoenix was 13 of 42 from 3-point range (31%), one night after setting a franchise record with 25 long balls.</p>
<p>Miami had an even worse night from beyond the arc, making just 9 of 44 (20.5%). Jimmy Butler led the Heat with 18 points and Duncan Robinson added 15.</p>
<p>The Heat jumped out to a 34-26 lead at the end of the first quarter after leading by as many as 13. The Suns fought back quickly and Paul hit a 3-pointer to tie it at 42-all with 8:18 left in the second. Phoenix pushed ahead 56-50 by halftime.</p>
<p>Ayton led the Suns with 11 points and six rebounds before the break. Ariza and Dragic each scored 10 for the Heat.</p>
<p>PAUL’S THEFTS</p>
<p>Paul had two steals against the Heat, including one in the fourth quarter that was the 2,310th of his career. That puts him in a tie for No. 5 on the all-time list with Maurice Cheeks.</p>
<p>Paul still has a way to go for the top spot. That’s held by John Stockton who had 3,265, which is nearly 600 more than anyone else in NBA history.</p>
<p>BUTLER HOBBLING</p>
<p>Butler was down for a couple minutes early in the fourth quarter when he landed on Jevon Carter’s foot after taking a jumper and twisted his right ankle. He eventually returned to the game and finished 6 of 16 from the field. He also had eight assists.</p>
<p>TIP-INS</p>
<p>Heat: F KZ Okpala (health and safety protocols) and G Victor Oladipo (right knee soreness) didn’t play.</p>
<p>Suns: F Abdel Nader missed his 13th straight game with right knee soreness. … Jae Crowder scored five points one night after pouring in a season-high 26 points on a career-high eight 3-pointers.</p>
<p>UP NEXT</p>
<p>Heat: Travel to face the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday.</p>
<p>Suns: Host the Sacramento Kings on Thursday.</p>
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<p>Follow David Brandt at <a href="http://www.twitter.com/davidbrandtAP">www.twitter.com/davidbrandtAP</a></p>
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