Devin Booker Surges Suns Past Jazz

The Phoenix Suns began their NBA Cup journey on a high note thanks to Devin Booker.

Nov 12, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) brings the ball up the court against Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson (00) during the second quarter at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images / Rob Gray-Imagn Images

There's been some discourse over Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker and his recent performances.

In the first game of NBA Cup action, those were silenced - at least for the time being with his third 30-point performance of the year.

Booker took over in the fourth quarter (15 points in the period) of Phoenix's 120-112 win over the Utah Jazz to begin group play 1-0 while also extending their regular season record to 9-2 on the season.

Without two starters in Kevin Durant and Jusuf Nurkic, the Suns were forced to alter their rotation a bit - though a struggling Jazz team (who have now lost seven in a row) weren't enough throughout the course of action to threaten the Suns.

Quick Recap

The Suns jumped out to a 33-21 lead after the first. Utah kept their deficit around five points up until roughly four minutes left in the quarter before Phoenix went on 12-5 run to bolster their advantage. Bradley Beal had nine points in the first.

The Suns managed to push through a quick 7-0 start to the second quarter by Utah, eventually going on their own 12-0 run forcing a Jazz timeout at 49-32. Utah couldn't find much of a difference in the final six minutes of the first half, ultimately hitting the locker room down 64-49. The Suns tied a franchise record with ten blocks in the first half while also hitting 9/17 shots from deep.

Mason Plumlee reached a double-double early in the third quarter, and while the Jazz flirted with putting a dent in their deficit, they only chipped it down to eight points through the late stages of the third. Utah ultimately went down 87-79 entering the fourth.

It appeared as if the Jazz were down and out through the final quarter, as the Suns had a comfortable lead heading into the last minutes of the contest. Phoenix missed a few free throws and Utah went on an 8-1 run to draw the Suns' lead to just six with under 20 seconds left.

However, Phoenix ultimately held on for victory at the final buzzer.

Notable Performances

Devin Booker - 31 PTS, 4 AST
Bradley Beal - 24 PTS, 3 REB, 4 AST, 2 STL
Mason Plumlee - 15 PTS, 14 REB
Grayson Allen - 15 PTS

What's Next

The Suns head to Sacramento to complete the second night of a back-to-back against the Kings on Wednesday.