Kevin Durant scores 31 points, Bradley Beal adds 30 in Suns' 129-115 victory over Jazz
Phoenix Suns' Kevin Durant (35) and Drew Eubanks (14) high-five during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz in Phoenix Thursday, Jan. 8, 2024. Credit: AP/Darryl Webb
PHOENIX — Kevin Durant scored 31 points, Bradley Beal had 30 and the Phoenix Suns — with All-Star Devin Booker sidelined by a sore left hip — beat the Utah Jazz 129-115 on Thursday night.
The Suns never trailed, winning their third straight game and 12th of 15. They also swept the four-game, regular-season series from the Jazz.
It was an offensive showcase for the Suns, who shot nearly 60% from the field, had 37 assists to just 12 turnovers and scored 30 fast-break points, hitting the Jazz with waves of offense, particularly in the first half.
“Our whole team is sharing the basketball,” Suns coach Frank Vogel said. “We want to become a team-first team. We've got elite scorers, we've got elite individual talent, but I love how we're playing together.”
Lauri Markkanen led Utah with 22 points, while John Collins had 21 and Collin Sexton 19.
Phoenix jumped out to a 40-28 lead in the first quarter, with Durant scoring 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting. The Suns settled for a 75-66 halftime lead.
Utah cut it to 81-78 early in the third but Phoenix used a 13-0 run — highlighted by 3-pointers from Gordon and Beal — to regain control. The Suns built a 109-90 lead by the end of the third quarter and never trailed in the fourth, keeping a double-digit margin throughout.
Phoenix Suns' Bradley Beal (3) wears a face protector for his broken nose during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz in Phoenix, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2024. Credit: AP/Darryl Webb
“Cut it to three and then after that, we just had some possessions were we took a few bad shots, a couple of turnovers and it allowed them to play against an unset defense,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said. “It was another night where, in those moments, we never got a break with them just missing one. They did a great job of capitalizing on those moments.”
Gordon scored 19 points on 7-of-8 shooting, Jusuf Nurkic had 16 points and eight rebounds, and Grayson Allen added eight points and a career-high 14 assists.
Allen nearly doubled his previous career high of eight assists. The sixth-year player is known for his 3-point shooting, but with Booker on the bench, he was more of a ballhandler against the Jazz.
“We’ve had guys in and out of the lineup all season, so we kind of understand our roles when guys are out," Durant said. “It's a next-man-up mentality in this league.”
Phoenix Suns' Kevin Durant, left, applauds after being fouled by the Utah Jazz during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Phoenix, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2024. Credit: AP/Darryl Webb
Earlier Thursday, the Suns re-tooled their bench at the trade deadline, adding Royce O'Neale from the Brooklyn and David Roddy from Memphis, but neither was available on Thursday. Utah also made a pair of moves, adding Kevin Knox II, Kira Lewis Jr. and Otto Porter Jr., who were also unavailable.
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