The Phoenix Suns on Friday had their All-Star backcourt playing well, while the Utah Jazz’s All-Star backcourt were injured or on the bench, making the result predictable as Devin Booker scored 31 points, Chris Paul had 12 points and nine assists in the Suns 121-100 win, which pulled them into a tie for the best record in the NBA.
Phoenix are actually atop the NBA, by virtue of holding the tiebreaker over the Jazz.
Two nights after clinching their first post-season spot in 11 years, the Suns kept rolling and never trailed after the opening minutes.
Photo: AFP
Booker shot 13 of 19 from the field, hitting three step-back jumpers late in the third that brought roars from the crowd.
The third one came in front of the Suns’ bench and was over Utah’s 2.13m center Rudy Gobert.
Ayton and Bridges were celebrating so hard with Booker that they almost forgot to let him back on defense.
Photo: AFP
“That’s just having fun with it man,” Booker said, grinning. “Not everyone has a vibe like this, an energy like this. It’s a great environment to get better in.”
Mikal Bridges added 18 points. Deandre Ayton had 11 points and nine rebounds.
The Suns and the Jazz both have a 45-18 record. If they are tied at the end of the season, Phoenix would claim the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference playoffs because they swept their three-game season series.
The Jazz were led by Bojan Bogdanovic, who scored 22 points. Utah have lost three of their past four games.
“I think our physicality wasn’t there,” Gobert said. “Those guys are good, but I feel they were a little bit too comfortable. Our offense affected our defense, too. When we turn the ball over or take a bad shot they were able to run on us. Then they get going and get confidence.”
Utah were playing without their All-Star backcourt of Mike Conley and Donovan Mitchell. Conley was out because of a tight hamstring, while Mitchell has a sprained ankle.
Without them on the floor, Phoenix flourished.
“Those are tough games to play in emotionally,” Suns coach Monty Williams said. “You’re ramped up to play against the best team in the league and they sit a few guys, you can have a letdown, but we handled business tonight.”
The Suns took a 25-point lead by midway through the second quarter when Cameron Payne’s three-pointer made it 50-25.
The Jazz cut the deficit to 68-52 by halftime.
Booker led the Suns with 16 before the break, while Bridges had 13.
Bogdanovic had 15 for the Jazz.
The Jazz pulled within 70-57 in the third quarter, but could not get any closer.
The Suns had their lead back up to 96-72 by the start of the fourth and eased to the win.
“We didn’t execute the way we wanted to,” Utah coach Quin Snyder said. “In games like this when certain players are not able to play, your margin for error is really small.”
In Los Angeles, Lakers superstar LeBron James scored 16 points in his return from the longest absence of his NBA career, but the Sacramento Kings rallied to win 110-106 at the Staples Center.
James, who missed 20 games with a sprained ankle, finished with eight rebounds and seven assists, but he also had five turnovers in 32 minutes of playing time.
“I came out unscathed. It’s a pretty good start,” James said.
“For my first game in six weeks, I felt OK,” James said. “My ankle was a little tight at times. It was just different movements and different things I hadn’t done. As the games go on that will continue to improve.”
In other games on Friday, it was:
‧ 76ers 126, Hawks 104
‧ Celtics 143, Spurs 140 (OT)
‧ Cavaliers 93, Wizards 122
‧ Nets 109, Trail Blazers 128
‧ Grizzlies 92, Magic 75
‧ Bulls 98, Bucks 108
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