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PHOENIX -- The Phoenix Suns veterans are sometimes forgotten on a team with several players in their teens and early 20s. It was experienced players who made the difference Wednesday night, though.Brandon Knight scored 23 points off the bench and Phoenix reserves combined for 54 as the Suns held off the slumping Atlanta Hawks 109-107 thanks to a key fourth-quarter run.Jared Dudley and P.J. Tucker added 17 points apiece for the Suns, who had lost four of five. Leandro Barbosa made three important baskets in the fourth.Thats what we need from them, is stability, Phoenix coach Earl Watson said. Our young guys are going to have ups and downs, trying to make it as consistent as possible.Eric Bledsoes bank shot with 28.4 seconds left gave the Suns a 104-99 lead and all but sealed Atlantas fourth consecutive defeat. Bledsoe, who shot 5 for 17 from the field, pounded the scorers table in celebration.Eric claims he called bank on the shot. I dont believe it, Watson said with a smile.Barbosa made baskets on three straight possessions midway through the fourth to give Phoenix an 89-84 advantage, part of an 11-0 run.I like that, Barbosa said. Thats what were supposed to do. Were supposed to show some things to these guys. Hopefully I give some spark to the team and some energy.The Hawks cut it to 96-95 with 2:50 to play on Thabo Sefoloshas 17-footer, but Phoenix held on. Dennis Schroder scored 14 of his career-high 31 points in the fourth.Kent Bazemore had 22 points, Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 21 and Dwight Howard added 17 points with 14 rebounds for Atlanta.We are playing the right way, trying to do the right things, but we just cant get it to go our way, Bazemore said.The Suns turned a five-point deficit at the 5:12 mark of the first quarter into a 36-27 lead to start the second.Knight scored 14 points in 5 minutes off the bench in the first quarter and Tucker had nine -- seven in the first 2 minutes of the game.The Suns took a 47-33 lead, their largest of the game, when Tucker scored and made a free throw in the second quarter. But the Hawks responded, going on a 10-0 run over the final 2:37 of the period. Hardaway hit two 3-pointers and flew in for a dunk during that stretch, finishing the first half with 12 points.The teams traded leads for about 4 minutes of the third quarter before the Suns ended it with a 77-75 lead.We just didnt get that stop that we needed to in the last couple of minutes and we didnt get the basket, Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said.You never feel good when you have a tough road trip and you have lost a few in a row, but I think we are looking forward going home.TIP-INSHawks: F Paul Millsap was held out with a left hip injury, and F/C Tiago Splitter (right calf strain) also did not play. Mike Muscala started in Millsaps place. ... The Hawks shot 10 free throws to 25 for the Suns. ... Hardaway was knocked into the scorers table chasing down a loose ball in the fourth quarter but stayed in the game.Suns: F T.J. Warren (minor head injury) did not play and has missed the past six games. ... Dudley crashed to the floor in front of the Suns bench after a hard foul on Sefolosha in the third quarter, but got up and made two of three free throws right afterward.DUDLEY DOES JOKESDudley made sure Tucker was within earshot in the locker room when responding to a question about the veterans playing well. P.J. started it off, he hit a couple of pull-up jumpers, which he hasnt done since Texas, Dudley said, referring to Tuckers college days.BLEDSOES BURDENBledsoe had earlier expressed that its his fault the Suns are not winning much, despite his most recent stretch of five games before Wednesday in which he averaged 26 points, seven rebounds and 6.6 assists. Phoenix had one win in that span. Bledsoe takes a lot of things to heart, Watson said. Hes very purposeful with his words. ... Its going to be transparent. We understand Bleds purpose, and his commitment to this team is second to none.BUDENHOLZERS BACKBudenholzer is from Holbrook, Arizona, a town of around 5,000 about 185 miles northeast of Phoenix. He wasnt expecting a big turnout of townsfolk Wednesday night, citing a midweek game after a holiday and no bus service.UP NEXTHawks: Host the Detroit Pistons on Friday night and play three of the next four at home.Suns: At the Golden State Warriors on Saturday, the first of a two-game road trip. Cheap Nike Air Vapormax Plus Sale . LOUIS -- Lance Lynn was one of the more enthusiastic participants as the St. Cheap Nike Vapormax China . PAUL, Minn. http://www.cheapairvapormax.com/ . There was no hesitation from the 40th-ranked Pospisil, from Vernon, B.C., who admitted that he cut back on his training sessions over the last few days to conserve energy as the long ATP season finishes next week at the Paris Masters. Nike Vapormax Wholesale . PETERSBURG, Fla. Nike Vapormax Plus Wholesale . -- Anaheim Ducks captain and leading scorer Ryan Getzlaf has been scratched from Sunday nights game against the Vancouver Canucks because of an upper-body injury. MIAMI -- Max Scherzer strengthened his case for the NL Cy Young Award.Scherzer pitched 6 2/3 innings to tie for the National League victory lead with 18, helping the Washington Nationals beat the Miami Marlins 8-3 on Wednesday night.When we needed shut-down innings I was able to go out there and put up zeroes when we really needed it and it helped get the offense going, Scherzer said.Scherzer (18-7) allowed three runs and struck out eight to push his major league-leading total to 267. Hes tied for with Chicagos Jon Lester for the most wins in the NL.He should be in strong consideration for a Cy Young, Nationals manager Dusty Baker said. I talked to him earlier and I gave him a number and said lets win six or seven of them and he said, `I want to win all of them. Thats the attitude you want and thats the attitude that he carries and the guys love playing behind him.Ryan Zimmerman hit a three-run homer and Trea Turner also homered for the Nationals.We got some good offensive days out of some guys especially after our offense was a little sleepy the last couple of days, Baker said.Washington ended a four-game losing streak and lowered their magic number to two to win the NL East over the New York Mets with a chance to clinch on Friday at Pittsburgh.Ive never been a part of anything like this, but its exciting, Turner said. Every game means something even down the stretch playing for home-field advantage or whatever it may be. Its exciting and I enjoy it.Tom Koehler (9-12) allowed four runs -- three earned -- in four innings for the Marlins. They had won three in a row to stay in contention for the second wild card spot.It kind of leaves us in the same spot, Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. It wouldve been nice if we could have won and cut a game off. Hopefully the Dodgers win tonight.Christian Yelich hit a solo home run and Derek Dietrich hit a two-run homer to chase Scherzer in the seventh and cut it to 6-3.Prior to the home runs allowed by Yelich annd Dietrich, Scherzer had only allowed two hits.ddddddddddddObviously there in the seventh-of course Im frustrated about that, Scherzer said. You cant walk away from an outing like that feeling great when you give up two home runs especially when your last pitch is a home run. But youll beat yourself up and drive yourself crazy if you try to sit here every single start worrying about the negatives. This start had way more positives and thats what Im going to focus on.Wilson Ramos had an RBI double and scored on a sacrifice fly in the eighth to extend the Nationals lead to 8-3.Washington scored its first run when Koehlers pick-off throw to second went into centerfield and Yelich was unable to field it cleanly allowing Danny Espinosa to score.Zimmermans three-run homer, his 15th, to left field gave the Nationals a 4-0 lead in the fourth.You cant really afford to spot Max a 4-0 lead, Koehler said. More times than not he gets four runs, hes not going to give it back.Jayson Werth had an RBI single and Turner hit his 12th home run for a 6-0 advantage.TRAINERS ROOMMarlins: RF Giancarlo Stanton was held out of the lineup after starting and homering in the last two games. Medical says he felt he needed a day so we gave a day, Mattingly said. ... LHP Adam Conley (finger) pitched a three-inning simulation game Wednesday with hopes of returning to the team before the season ends.UP NEXTNationals: LHP Gio Gonzalez (11-10, 4.48) will take the mound on Friday in Pittsburgh against RHP Jameson Tailon (4-4, 3.39) to begin a three-game series against the Pirates in the final road trip of the season. Gonzalez has allowed six runs in two of his last three starts.Marlins: RHP Jose Urena (4-7, 5.59) will start Thursdays game against Atlanta RHP Josh Collmenter (2-0, 4.61). Urena allowed seven runs in two innings in his last start at Philadelphia. ' ' '