Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal have big nights in Suns' win over Jazz
League: NBA 
Posted on: 09 Feb, 2024 at 05:15 AM
Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Kevin Durant scored 31 points and Bradley Beal added 30 as the host Phoenix Suns defeated the Utah Jazz 129-115 on Thursday night.
Devin Booker (left hip soreness) was sidelined, but the Suns cruised without him.
Durant, who had eight rebounds and seven assists, scored 19 points in the first quarter. Phoenix jumped ahead 20-9 in the first five minutes, led 40-28 after the quarter and never relinquished the lead.
Lauri Markkanen led the Jazz with 22 points. John Collins contributed 21 points and 14 rebounds, while Collin Sexton chipped in 19 points and eight assists in the loss.
Phoenix shot a blistering 59.1 percent from the field, making 14 of 29 3-point attempts en route to its third win in a row. Beal made six of the Suns' 3s and had seven assists.
Grayson Allen finished with a game-high 14 assists. Eric Gordon scored 19 points, Jusuf Nurkic added 16 points and eight rebounds and Drew Eubanks had 12 points for Phoenix.
Sexton and Kris Dunn hit back-to-back 3-pointers in the third quarter to help Utah pull within three at 81-78. The Suns responded with a 13-0 run capped by consecutive 3-pointers from Gordon to seize momentum for good. The Suns led 109-90 entering the fourth quarter.
The closest the Jazz got in the final period was 11 points, trailing 122-111 after Walker Kessler's dunk with 3:45 left. The Suns ran it back up to 18 points after that though, leading 129-111 after Beal's 3-pointer with 2:29 to play. The teams did not score in the final 1:41.
Both teams were involved in trades before the deadline passed earlier in the day.
The Suns acquired Royce O'Neale from the Brooklyn Nets and David Roddy from the Memphis Grizzlies in a three-team deal.
The Suns sent Brooklyn Keita Bates-Diop, Jordan Goodwin and second-round draft picks in 2026, 2028 and 2029. Phoenix dealt Chimezie Metu and Yuta Watanabe to Memphis, along with what was only termed "2026 draft pick considerations" in a news release.
Utah, meanwhile, agreed to send Kelly Olynyk and Ochai Agbaji to Toronto for Kira Lewis Jr., Otto Porter Jr. and a 2024 first-round pick.
--Field Level Media
Devin Booker (left hip soreness) was sidelined, but the Suns cruised without him.
Durant, who had eight rebounds and seven assists, scored 19 points in the first quarter. Phoenix jumped ahead 20-9 in the first five minutes, led 40-28 after the quarter and never relinquished the lead.
Lauri Markkanen led the Jazz with 22 points. John Collins contributed 21 points and 14 rebounds, while Collin Sexton chipped in 19 points and eight assists in the loss.
Phoenix shot a blistering 59.1 percent from the field, making 14 of 29 3-point attempts en route to its third win in a row. Beal made six of the Suns' 3s and had seven assists.
Grayson Allen finished with a game-high 14 assists. Eric Gordon scored 19 points, Jusuf Nurkic added 16 points and eight rebounds and Drew Eubanks had 12 points for Phoenix.
Sexton and Kris Dunn hit back-to-back 3-pointers in the third quarter to help Utah pull within three at 81-78. The Suns responded with a 13-0 run capped by consecutive 3-pointers from Gordon to seize momentum for good. The Suns led 109-90 entering the fourth quarter.
The closest the Jazz got in the final period was 11 points, trailing 122-111 after Walker Kessler's dunk with 3:45 left. The Suns ran it back up to 18 points after that though, leading 129-111 after Beal's 3-pointer with 2:29 to play. The teams did not score in the final 1:41.
Both teams were involved in trades before the deadline passed earlier in the day.
The Suns acquired Royce O'Neale from the Brooklyn Nets and David Roddy from the Memphis Grizzlies in a three-team deal.
The Suns sent Brooklyn Keita Bates-Diop, Jordan Goodwin and second-round draft picks in 2026, 2028 and 2029. Phoenix dealt Chimezie Metu and Yuta Watanabe to Memphis, along with what was only termed "2026 draft pick considerations" in a news release.
Utah, meanwhile, agreed to send Kelly Olynyk and Ochai Agbaji to Toronto for Kira Lewis Jr., Otto Porter Jr. and a 2024 first-round pick.
--Field Level Media
