The moment Torrey Craig threw down a two-handed alley-oop dunk, the roof popped off inside Phoenix Suns Arena.
The Suns — on a 14-5 fourth-quarter run at the time against the Denver Nuggets — had exploded in the second half. Their spurt leading up to Craig’s slam was part of a grander 39-12 spurt dating back to 7:34 left in the third, when they trailed 72-63 and had little moving in their favor.
Building a 102-84 lead with 8:36 to go, Phoenix’s eruption had all but enveloped Denver. With an announced 16,219 fans in attendance, the Suns danced on the sideline, had spectators bouncing off each other and their building overflowing with palpable energy.