Devin Booker and Kevin Durant lead the Suns past the Jazz 134-126

Devin Booker and Kevin Durant lead the Suns past the Jazz 134-126

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Devin Booker scored 34 points and Kevin Durant added 30 in his return to the Phoenix lineup, leading the Suns to a 134-126 victory over the Utah Jazz on Friday night.

Durant and Booker also had eight assists each, helping the Suns snap a three-game losing streak. Tyus Jones had 19 points and 11 assists.

Durant missed three games with a sprained left ankle. Suns center Jusuf Nurkic was also back after missing five games with a sprained left ankle and a bruised right thigh.

Jordan Clarkson also returned to Utah after a seven-game absence with plantar fasciitis. Clarkson led the Jazz with 23 points. John Collins added 22 points and Lauri Markkanen had 19.

Phoenix opened the second half with six straight baskets – three by Booker – to lead 92-80. The Jazz countered with a 15-4 run to pull within 99-97 after a running alley-oop layup by Walker Kessler.

Ryan Dunn capped a 9-2 run with a finger-roll layup to extend the Suns’ lead to 108-99. Utah didn’t get closer than four points in the fourth quarter.

Takeaways

Suns: Durant and Booker combined for 21 baskets and 16 assists.

Jazz: Sizzling outside shooting helped Utah keep pace with Phoenix. The Jazz made 22 3-point shots and shot 56% from beyond the arc.

Key moment

Clarkson scored three straight baskets to help Utah score on its first six possessions of the second quarter and take a 53-44 lead. Phoenix erased the deficit with a 12-0 run fueled by Booker’s back-to-back three-pointers to take a 63-58 lead. The Suns never let up after that.

Key statistics

The Jazz and Suns combined for 44 3-point shots.

Next

The Suns host Portland on Sunday, while the Jazz travel to the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

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