The Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz met for their third and final matchup of the regular season Friday night. With All-star guards, Donovan Mitchell and Mike Conley out, Utah had a challenge if they hoped to maintain the top spot in the West. However, the Suns’ All-star backcourt took advantage of their undermanned opponent and left little room for hope.
“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.”
Playing with a purpose
The Suns made a statement early, as they never trailed after the opening minutes. By the end of the first quarter, they had built a comfortable, 16-point lead over Utah.
Phoenix’s momentum carried over into the second period, as Cameron Payne sunk a triple to make it a 50-25 advantage just a few minutes in. All-star guard Chris Paul controlled the tempo and made things fun for the Suns. In a span of just over a minute, Paul found both DeAndre Ayton and Mikal Bridges for thunderous alley-oop throwdowns. Yet, Utah battled back to within 16 by halftime.
Devin Booker eased his way to 16 points in the first half to lead the Suns, and Bridges added 13 of his own. Bojan Bogdanovic dropped 15 first-half points for Utah.
Snatching the top spot
Despite pulling to within 13 in the third, Utah was unable to get any closer. Phoenix ramped up the energy and took a 96-72 lead into the final frame, in which they never looked back.
Booker finished with 31 points, while Paul added 12 points and 9 assists in a 121-100 win over Utah. This pulled the Suns into a tie with Utah for the best record in the NBA (45-18). Plus, after winning the season series over Utah, the Suns claimed the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.
“That’s just having fun with it, man,” Booker said about a moment with his teammates after making a big shot. “Not everyone has a vibe like this, an energy like this. It’s a great environment to get better in.”
Bridges added 18 points for the Suns, and Ayton finished with 11 points to go with 9 boards.
Bogdanovic led the way with 22 points for Utah, who has now lost three of its last four games. All-star big man Rudy Gobert had a quiet night with just 8 points and 10 rebounds, while Joe Ingles and Jordan Clarkson each poured in 12 points.
“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.”
Up Next
The Suns travel to face the Thunder at 5:00 p.m. PDT Sunday. Utah returns home to host the Raptors at 7:00 p.m. PDT Saturday.
