Phoenix (USA), Apr 30 (EFE) .- Hispanic guard Devin Booker contributed 31 points, while forward Mikal Bridges reached 18 points and the Phoenix Suns tied for first place in the Western Conference by beating The Utah Jazz decimated by 121-100.
Two nights after securing their first postseason spot in 11 years, the Suns continued their winning march and never trailed after the opening minutes.
Booker made 13 of 19 shots from the field, including three back jump shots at the end of the third period, which sparked excitement among Suns fans on the field.
Point guard Chris Paul added 12 points and nine assists as game director, while Bahamian center Deandre Ayton had 11 points and nine rebounds, leaving him the best of the Phoenix team in the paint.
The Suns and Jazz have a 45-18 record. If tied at the end of the season, Phoenix would claim No. 1 in the West during the playoffs because they swept the three-game season series.
The Jazz, who again had the losses of guard Donovan Mitchell, and point guard Mike Conley, received the support of Croatian forward Bojan Bogdanovic, who scored 22 points, but they were not enough to avoid the third defeat in the last four matches.
Utah was playing without its All-Star backline of Conley and Mitchell. Conley was out with a hamstring strain, while Mitchell has a sprained right ankle.
Without his presence, the Suns were always a better team than the Jazz.
The Suns took a 25-point lead midway through the second quarter when a triple by forward Cameron Payne made the run 50-25. The Jazz managed to cut the deficit to 68-52 at halftime.
Booker led the Suns with 16 before the break, while Bridges had 13. Bogdanovic finished with 15 for the Jazz.
The Utah team came close to 70-57 in the third quarter, but couldn’t cut the score further.
The Suns had raised the lead back to 96-72 at the start of the quarter and won with ease.
(c) EFE Agency