PHOENIX (AP) Gerald Green came off the bench to score all 24 of his points in three quarters, leading the Phoenix Suns to an 87-85 win over the Utah Jazz on Saturday night.
Green didn't play in the first quarter, scored 10 points in the second and caught fire in the fourth with 10 more.
The Suns had to hang on until the final buzzer, when the Jazz missed a shot to tie in the closing seconds and were called for an offensive foul to end the game.
Eric Bledsoe added 16 points, including a key free throw with 16 seconds left, and the Suns put an end to a five-game losing skid, keeping their slim playoff hopes alive with New Orleans' loss at Portland.
Gordon Hayward scored 12 his 21 points in the fourth quarter for the Jazz, who were on a three-game winning streak. Rodney Hood returned from missing two games with a concussion and scored 17 points.
The Suns went ahead 80-76 on P.J. Tucker's baseline three with 6:06 to play, but Hayward scored the next seven Jazz points to make it a one-point Suns lead, 84-83, with 2:39 left.
Hayward lost a chance to give the Jazz the lead when he missed a stepback jumper with 18 seconds left, and the ball went out of bounds to the Suns.
The Suns saw a 13-point lead early in the third quarter evaporate, as Utah held a 68-65 advantage going into the fourth.
Brandan Wright dunked for a 54-41 lead at the 9:17 mark. But the Jazz cut the lead to one, 59-58, on a pair of Rudy Gobert free throws with 4:13 left.
Gobert finished with eight points and 14 rebounds.
Bryce Cotton's 3-pointer seconds later tied it at 61, the Jazz took a 66-65 lead on Joe Ingles' three with 1:13 to play and made it a three-point lead with 17 seconds left on Hood's 19-foot pull-up jumper.
The two teams struggled with poor shooting in the first quarter, the Suns going almost six minutes without a point after taking a 6-2 lead. Utah scored the next 14 points and took an 18-13 lead into the second quarter.
Hood had nine of those 18 points.
IN REMEMBRANCE
Both teams and the crowd observed a moment of silence in honor of the late ''Hot Rod'' Hundley, who died on March 27 in his Phoenix-area home. Hundley spent 35 years as the voice of the New Orleans/Utah Jazz on radio, and before that was a broadcaster for the Suns for four years.
TIP-INS
Jazz: G Trey Burke did not play due to a sore lower back ... Jazz coach Quin Snyder was glad to see Hood back in action after his concussion. ''He's had some tough luck with injuries,'' Snyder said. ''It's good to see him be able to come back and play, and hopefully play the rest of the season.'' ... A group of six fans seated a few rows from courtside wore old purple Jazz jerseys, with one of the six dressed in a suit and tie and holding a clipboard. They pretended to huddle during timeouts.
Suns: G Brandon Knight missed Saturday's game with a sprained left ankle, the 11th game in the Suns' last 12 that he's been unable to play ... C Alex Len will be re-evaluated next week after surgery on Thursday to repair his broken nose. Len was injured against Portland on March 30.
UP NEXT
Jazz: At Sacramento on Sunday.
Suns: At Atlanta on Tuesday.
