Kevin Durant, Devin Booker Power Suns Past Jazz

The Phoenix Suns' star duo is back with a win over the Utah Jazz.

Dec 13, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) and guard Devin Booker (1) speak after a play against the Utah Jazz during the first quarter at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images / Rob Gray-Imagn Images

The Phoenix Suns stopped a three-game losing skid on Friday night with a 134-126 win over the Utah Jazz.

The Suns are now 13-11 on the year.

The Suns welcomed back the injured Kevin Durant and Jusuf Nurkic back into the lineup while Bradley Beal was a late scratch due to knee swelling.

Devin Booker led all scorers with 34 points, his seventh 30-point outing of the season. Durant also chipped in 30 of his own while Royce O'Neale (17), Tyus Jones (19) and Ryan Dunn (13) all poured in stellar efforts in support roles.

Phoenix did well in the turnover battle, forcing 17 turnovers on Utah while committing just seven themselves. The Suns also had a strong night shooting as a team, especially from behind the arch where they hit 49% of shots.

Quick Recap

It was a high scoring first quarter from both teams, as the Suns saw themselves down 39-38 after the opening 12 minutes. Booker led all scorers with 12 points while Utah/Phoenix shot a collective 15-22 from three-point land.

The Suns eventually pushed themselves ahead 76-71 leading into the break with Utah hanging around mostly thanks to 18 first half points from Jordan Clarkson. For Phoenix, it was a team effort as only two Suns (Damion Lee and Bol Bol) didn't touch the floor for Mike Budenholzer's squad.

After the third, the Suns led 112-105 and led by double digits at one point in the third quarter. Both teams shot 59% from the field and ten different players finished with 10+ points scored entering the fourth.

The Jazz didn't go down without swinging, keeping their deficit around three possessions for majority of the final quarter until the buzzer sounded.

What's Next

The Suns are back at home on Sunday to host the Portland Trail Blazers.