Suns’ Devin Booker and Kevin Durant thrive in win over Utah

Devin Booker and Kevin Durant combined for 64 points as the Phoenix Suns went on a scoring spree to overcome the Utah Jazz 134-126 on Friday night.

The two teams combined for 44 three-pointers, and neither team scored fewer than 32 points in a quarter until things got tighter in the fourth quarter.

The Suns (13-11) earned a hard-fought victory as Durant returned from a sprained left ankle that left him out for three games. Phoenix improved to 12-2 when Durant played this season.

Booker, scoring in a stadium where he has had plenty of success, dropped 34 points on 13-for-27 shooting. He scored 22 points in the first half.

Booker put together some of his best individual performances at Utah, scoring 59, 49 and 43 points in three different games at the Delta Center throughout his career.

Durant added 30 points in his comeback, hitting 8 of 17 shots and knocking down all 12 of his free throws. He almost added a few poster dunks too. It didn’t take long for Durant to finish the first half with 19 points.

The Big 3 wasn’t fully intact as Bradley Beal was sidelined with right knee swelling.

Get into place. pic.twitter.com/y5OKZx4l6L

– Phoenix Suns (@Suns) December 14, 2024

The shooting quality of both teams in this game improved significantly on Friday, especially in the first three quarters. The Suns shot 22-45 from distance and the Jazz (5-19) hit 22 of 39 attempts from deep. Both teams set season highs for 3-point shots made.

With a total of 147 points scored, seemingly no one could miss anything in the first half. The Suns took a 76-71 halftime lead and shot 11-for-17 from deep, but the Jazz outscored them by a 15-22 margin.

The Suns built a 12-point lead in the third quarter, but the shots kept falling to allow Utah to stay ahead. Suns rookie Ryan Dunn hit a corner three before the horn to take a 112-105 lead into the final frame.

Since both teams fired from deep, Phoenix was able to gain an advantage in the categories of turnovers and rebounds. The Suns turned the ball over just seven times – a season low – compared to Utah’s 15, while winning the rebounding battle 43-39. Phoenix dished out 34 assists on the night, posting its best assist-to-turnover ratio all year.

The supporting cast was once again very impressive. Tyus Jones scored 19 points with 11 assists, Royce O’Neale added 17 points and Dunn scored 13 points in his first game back from an ankle injury. Jones and O’Neale hit 10 combined triples on 16 attempts.

O’Neale hit what Durant called a dagger in the fourth quarter.

ROYCE DAGGER 🗡️

KD APPROVED 🤩 pic.twitter.com/iE030rlrwL

– Phoenix Suns (@Suns) December 14, 2024

Jordan Clarkson led Utah with 23 points off the bench and scored 18 points in the first half, and John Collins finished the game with 22 points.

The Suns return home for three games against teams under .500, starting Sunday at 6:00 p.m. MST against the Portland Trail Blazers.

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