Durant returns, Booker thinks it's hot as the Suns outlast the Jazz without Beal

SALT LAKE CITY — Kevin Durant returned, Devin Booker rediscovered his 3-point shooting touch and the Phoenix Suns went three games without Bradley Beal in Friday’s 134-126 win over the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center.

The Suns are now 12-2 with Durant, 1-9 without him, as the superstar forward scored 30 points in 34 minutes after missing the last three games with a sprained left ankle suffered in last week’s win over San Antonio.

Booker scored a game-high 34 points against the Suns (13-11) on Friday. In his three previous games, he shot 6 of 13 from distance after shooting 5 of 21 from long range.

Tyus Jones posted a double-double with 19 points and 11 assists by knocking down 5 of 7 three-pointers, while Royce O’Neale, starting for Bradley Beal, added 17 points and hit 5 of 9 from long range.

The Suns scored a new season high in points from distance with 22 of 45 goals in front of a sellout crowd of 18,175 spectators.

Jordan Clarkson scored a team-high 23 off the bench for the Jazz (5-19), who have the second-worst record in the Western Conference.

Phoenix was without Beal, who sustained a late scratch and swelling to his right knee. Suns coach Mike Budenholzer said Beal experienced it between Thursday and Friday morning.

The Suns did not practice on Thursday, which was a travel day, but had a shootaround Friday morning that Beal participated in, but he left the shootout with the staff earlier than the rest of the team.

Here are three takeaways as the Suns take on Portland on Sunday to begin a three-game homestand, with three days between Sunday’s game and Thursday’s game against Indiana.

Budenholzer said they would see how the next “24 to 48 hours” with Beal go leading up to game Sunday, but the odds are slim considering the 6 p.m. start at the Footprint Center.

The Suns could also use the three days between Sunday’s game and Thursday’s game against Indiana to give him additional time to recover.

How Phoenix fared beyond the final score

In last Sunday’s loss to Orlando, the Suns turned the ball over seven times in the fourth quarter and only four times in the entire game on Friday, resulting in just eight Utah points.

Therein lies a big improvement. When the Suns don’t step it up and shoot on goal, it often results in them putting up numbers.

When these elements are present and catching fire, the Suns shoot 52.8% from the field and have a season-high 36 assists on 47 field goals made.

The Suns also played Beal for 11, while Josh Okogie and Monte Morris saw minutes. Will that number increase to 12 when Beal returns?

That’s the positive. Now the negative.

The Jazz made 22 of 39 from 3. That’s 56.1%. That’s also well above their pregame average of 34.7.

Walker Kessler hadn’t made a 3-pointer all season, but opened the game with two 3-pointers from corner kicks. They’re the only two he shot from distance, but it shows the Jazz felt they could get a look at the Suns from their five-pointer.

The Jazz hit some hard shots, but also had some open shots.

Budenholzer continues to stress that the Suns need to improve their defense, but they have played two teams with just five wins in New Orleans and Utah and scored 126 points in both games.

Evaluate their return performance

This is what happened to Phoenix players who were back in the lineup after being out due to injury:

Duration: As always, it looked like he never missed any action. Fluid shot, explosion visible and fully operational.

After his dunk attempt was blocked by the shorter Keyonte George, who caught him in the air on a windup, Durant, working around Lauri Markkanen on the same possession, tackled Kessler, took the foul shot and scored.

Durant scored 19 points in the first half, creating the space that Budenholzer can’t emphasize enough, allowing Booker to have leeway and score 20 points in the first half.

O’Neale certainly fed off of Durant. Three of his five three-pointers came from Durant assists. Durant finished the game with eight.

Yusuf Nurkish: Picked up two quick fouls, one on a screen, but finished the half with just two fouls. This is positive for him and Phoenix.

The 7-footer scored 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting. No 3s, stayed inside and grabbed seven rebounds. Overall, a solid performance as he kept the ball high on the catch and finished without dribbling.

O’Neale said the team told Nurkic to stay away from the rebound, which he joked Nurkic should have learned by now considering how often he takes him down in practice.

Ryan Thin: He moves well, is active, but has learned that he needs to be a little tighter against Clarkson, who made two 3s over him in the first half and a jump shot in the second.

Dunn finished the game with 13 points off the bench on 5 of 6 shooting and hit two big corner 3s off Booker in the third quarter, helping keep the Jazz at bay.

Grayson Allen: We found a rhythm in the second half and scored eight points after 25 minutes.

The Jazz picked on him defensively, but he played a solid game on the floor with four rebounds, two assists and two steals.

Big decisions for Budenholzer

Budenholzer spoke before the game about how having three big men is a good problem to have, unless you have to decide who plays and who doesn’t.

So with Mason Plumlee, Oso Ighodaro and Nurkic available, Budenholzer played all three.

Ighodaro was the first to come off the bench, but Plumlee also saw action in the first half. It seemed as if Budenholzer split the substitution minutes between the two at five in the first half.

Plumlee played six minutes, Ighodaro five.

It’s doable, but there are matchups that are better for each guy. Plumlee is a more physical tall and should get this look. He can work the offensive boards.

Smaller, big, let Ighodaro accept this challenge. His athleticism and passing ability serve him well.

What Budenholzer could do in the future is play both players in the first half, see how they both play, and then choose one or the other in the second half, especially if Nurkic is effective and doesn’t have foul trouble.

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Durant returns, Booker thinks it’s hot as the Suns outlast the Jazz without Beal

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