Kevin Durant scores 31 points, Bradley Beal adds 30 in Suns' 129-115 victory over Jazz
PHOENIX (AP) Kevin Durant scored 31 points, Bradley Beal had 30 and the Phoenix Suns - with All-Star Devin Booker sidelined by a sore left hip - beat the Utah Jazz 129-115 on Thursday night.
The Suns never trailed, winning their third straight game and 12th of 15. They also swept the four-game, regular-season series from the Jazz.
It was an offensive showcase for the Suns, who shot nearly 60% from the field, had 37 assists to just 12 turnovers and scored 30 fast-break points, hitting the Jazz with waves of offense, particularly in the first half.
“Our whole team is sharing the basketball,” Suns coach Frank Vogel said. “We want to become a team-first team. We've got elite scorers, we've got elite individual talent, but I love how we're playing together.”
Lauri Markkanen led Utah with 22 points, while John Collins had 21 and Collin Sexton 19.
Phoenix jumped out to a 40-28 lead in the first quarter, with Durant scoring 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting. The Suns settled for a 75-66 halftime lead.
Utah cut it to 81-78 early in the third but Phoenix used a 13-0 run - highlighted by 3-pointers from Gordon and Beal - to regain control. The Suns built a 109-90 lead by the end of the third quarter and never trailed in the fourth, keeping a double-digit margin throughout.
“Cut it to three and then after that, we just had some possessions were we took a few bad shots, a couple of turnovers and it allowed them to play against an unset defense,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said. “It was another night where, in those moments, we never got a break with them just missing one. They did a great job of capitalizing on those moments.”
Gordon scored 19 points on 7-of-8 shooting, Jusuf Nurkic had 16 points and eight rebounds, and Grayson Allen added eight points and a career-high 14 assists.
Allen nearly doubled his previous career high of eight assists. The sixth-year player is known for his 3-point shooting, but with Booker on the bench, he was more of a ballhandler against the Jazz.
“We’ve had guys in and out of the lineup all season, so we kind of understand our roles when guys are out," Durant said. “It's a next-man-up mentality in this league.”
Earlier Thursday, the Suns re-tooled their bench at the trade deadline, adding Royce O'Neale from the Brooklyn and David Roddy from Memphis, but neither was available on Thursday. Utah also made a pair of moves, adding Kevin Knox II, Kira Lewis Jr. and Otto Porter Jr., who were also unavailable.
UP NEXT
Jazz: Host Golden State on Monday.
Suns: Travel to Golden State on Saturday.
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| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 |  | Walker Kessler vs. Jusuf Nurkic (Kevin Durant gains possession) | ||
| 11:41 | | +2 | Kevin Durant makes two point pullup jump shot (Bradley Beal assists) | 0-2 |
| 11:21 |  | Lauri Markkanen misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 11:16 | | Kris Dunn offensive rebound | ||
| 11:12 | | +2 | Walker Kessler makes two point cutting dunk (Collin Sexton assists) | 2-2 |
| 10:57 | | +2 | Jusuf Nurkic makes two point hook shot (Bradley Beal assists) | 2-4 |
| 10:44 | | Kris Dunn turnover (bad pass) (Grayson Allen steals) | ||
| 10:40 | | +3 | Kevin Durant makes three point running jump shot (Grayson Allen assists) | 2-7 |
| 10:25 | | Lauri Markkanen turnover (lost ball) (Kevin Durant steals) | ||
| 10:20 | | +2 | Kevin Durant makes two point running alley-oop layup (Grayson Allen assists) | 2-9 |
| 10:03 | | John Collins misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 10:01 | | Grayson Allen defensive rebound | ||
| 9:55 | | Jusuf Nurkic turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 9:46 | | +2 | Lauri Markkanen makes two point jump shot (Collin Sexton assists) | 4-9 |
| 9:33 | | +2 | Eric Gordon makes two point cutting layup (Jusuf Nurkic assists) | 4-11 |
| 9:16 | | Kris Dunn misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 9:13 | | Jusuf Nurkic defensive rebound | ||
| 9:10 | | Kevin Durant misses three point running pullup jump shot | ||
| 9:06 | | Walker Kessler defensive rebound | ||
| 9:01 | | +2 | Collin Sexton makes two point driving layup | 6-11 |
| 9:01 | | Jusuf Nurkic shooting foul (Collin Sexton draws the foul) | ||
| 9:01 | | +1 | Collin Sexton makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 7-11 |
| 8:50 | | +3 | Bradley Beal makes three point jump shot (Kevin Durant assists) | 7-14 |
| 8:33 | | +2 | Walker Kessler makes two point cutting layup (Collin Sexton assists) | 9-14 |
| 8:16 | | Walker Kessler blocks Grayson Allen's two point driving layup | ||
| 8:13 | | John Collins defensive rebound | ||
| 8:10 | | Kevin Durant blocks John Collins's two point running layup | ||
| 8:08 | | Eric Gordon defensive rebound | ||
| 8:04 | | +2 | Kevin Durant makes two point running layup (Grayson Allen assists) | 9-16 |
| 7:44 | | Collin Sexton misses two point driving floating bank jump shot | ||
| 7:42 | | Jusuf Nurkic defensive rebound | ||
| 7:34 | | Eric Gordon turnover (bad pass) (Kris Dunn steals) | ||
| 7:30 | | Collin Sexton misses three point running pullup jump shot | ||
| 7:25 | | Jusuf Nurkic defensive rebound | ||
| 7:18 | | Collin Sexton blocks Jusuf Nurkic's two point driving layup | ||
| 7:18 | | Suns offensive rebound | ||
| 7:13 | | Bradley Beal misses two point fadeaway bank jump shot | ||
| 7:12 | | Jusuf Nurkic offensive rebound | ||
| 7:12 | | John Collins shooting foul (Jusuf Nurkic draws the foul) | ||
| 7:12 | | +1 | Jusuf Nurkic makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 9-17 |
| 7:12 | | +1 | Jusuf Nurkic makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 9-18 |
| 6:59 | | Collin Sexton turnover (bad pass) (Bradley Beal steals) | ||
| 6:55 | | +2 | Kevin Durant makes two point running dunk (Grayson Allen assists) | 9-20 |
| 6:55 | | Jazz 60 second timeout | ||
| 6:41 | | +3 | Jordan Clarkson makes three point jump shot (Kris Dunn assists) | 12-20 |
| 6:22 | | +3 | Bradley Beal makes three point jump shot (Eric Gordon assists) | 12-23 |
| 6:02 | | +3 | Kris Dunn makes three point jump shot (Jordan Clarkson assists) | 15-23 |
| 5:44 | | +3 | Bradley Beal makes three point jump shot (Eric Gordon assists) | 15-26 |
| 5:43 | | Jazz 60 second timeout | ||
| 5:20 | | +2 | Walker Kessler makes two point cutting dunk (Keyonte George assists) | 17-26 |
| 4:52 | | Jusuf Nurkic misses two point driving layup | ||
| 4:51 | | Lauri Markkanen defensive rebound | ||
| 4:45 | | Bradley Beal personal foul (Keyonte George draws the foul) | ||
| 4:38 | | Jusuf Nurkic shooting foul (Walker Kessler draws the foul) | ||
| 4:38 | | +1 | Walker Kessler makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 18-26 |
| 4:38 | | +1 | Walker Kessler makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 19-26 |
| 4:30 | | Kris Dunn personal foul (Kevin Durant draws the foul) | ||
| 4:18 | | Kevin Durant misses two point turnaround jump shot | ||
| 4:15 | | John Collins defensive rebound | ||
| 4:02 | | John Collins misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 4:01 | | Jazz offensive rebound | ||
| 4:01 | | Jump ball. Lauri Markkanen vs. Drew Eubanks (Jordan Clarkson gains possession) | ||
| 3:52 | | Keyonte George misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 3:50 | | Suns defensive rebound | ||
| 3:42 | | Kris Dunn personal foul (Kevin Durant draws the foul) | ||
| 3:33 | | +2 | Kevin Durant makes two point driving floating bank jump shot | 19-28 |
| 3:33 | | John Collins shooting foul (Kevin Durant draws the foul) | ||
| 3:33 | | +1 | Kevin Durant makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 19-29 |
| 3:13 | | +3 | Jordan Clarkson makes three point jump shot (Keyonte George assists) | 22-29 |
| 2:57 | | +2 | Drew Eubanks makes two point cutting finger roll layup (Kevin Durant assists) | 22-31 |
| 2:46 | | +2 | John Collins makes two point alley-oop dunk (Keyonte George assists) | 24-31 |
| 2:30 | | +3 | Kevin Durant makes three point pullup jump shot | 24-34 |
| 2:09 | | Taylor Hendricks misses two point driving layup | ||
| 2:08 | | Kevin Durant defensive rebound | ||
| 2:03 | | +2 | Kevin Durant makes two point running pullup jump shot (Josh Okogie assists) | 24-36 |
| 1:53 | | Keyonte George misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 1:50 | | Drew Eubanks defensive rebound | ||
| 1:39 | | Kevin Durant misses three point jump shot | ||
| 1:35 | | Josh Okogie offensive rebound | ||
| 1:34 | | +2 | Josh Okogie makes two point putback layup | 24-38 |
| 1:10 | | Jordan Clarkson misses three point jump shot | ||
| 1:08 | | Kevin Durant defensive rebound | ||
| 1:04 | | Taylor Hendricks shooting foul (Eric Gordon draws the foul) | ||
| 1:04 | | +1 | Eric Gordon makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 24-39 |
| 1:04 | | +1 | Eric Gordon makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 24-40 |
| 0:46 | | +2 | John Collins makes two point cutting dunk (Jordan Clarkson assists) | 26-40 |
| 0:31 | | Taylor Hendricks blocks Kevin Durant's two point driving layup | ||
| 0:29 | | John Collins defensive rebound | ||
| 0:25 | | +2 | Keyonte George makes two point driving floating jump shot (John Collins assists) | 28-40 |
| 0:02 | | Kevin Durant misses three point jump shot | ||
| 0:02 | | John Collins defensive rebound | ||
| 0:00 | | End of period |
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:48 | | Keyonte George misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 11:46 | | John Collins offensive rebound | ||
| 11:46 | | John Collins misses two point tip layup | ||
| 11:46 | | Jusuf Nurkic defensive rebound | ||
| 11:35 | | Talen Horton-Tucker shooting foul (Bradley Beal draws the foul) | ||
| 11:35 | | +1 | Bradley Beal makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 28-41 |
| 11:35 | | +1 | Bradley Beal makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 28-42 |
| 11:26 | | +3 | John Collins makes three point jump shot (Keyonte George assists) | 31-42 |
| 11:05 | | +2 | Jusuf Nurkic makes two point driving hook shot (Grayson Allen assists) | 31-44 |
| 10:54 | | John Collins misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:50 | | Talen Horton-Tucker offensive rebound | ||
| 10:43 | | Talen Horton-Tucker misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 10:39 | | Nassir Little defensive rebound | ||
| 10:36 | | +3 | Grayson Allen makes three point running jump shot (Bradley Beal assists) | 31-47 |
| 10:21 | | Bol Bol shooting foul (Talen Horton-Tucker draws the foul) | ||
| 10:21 | | +1 | Talen Horton-Tucker makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 32-47 |
| 10:21 | | +1 | Talen Horton-Tucker makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 33-47 |
| 10:01 | | +2 | Jusuf Nurkic makes two point driving hook shot (Bradley Beal assists) | 33-49 |
| 9:46 | | +2 | John Collins makes two point cutting dunk (Taylor Hendricks assists) | 35-49 |
| 9:34 | | Bol Bol misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:31 | | John Collins defensive rebound | ||
| 9:28 | | Grayson Allen shooting foul (Talen Horton-Tucker draws the foul) | ||
| 9:28 | | +1 | Talen Horton-Tucker makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 36-49 |
| 9:28 | | +1 | Talen Horton-Tucker makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 37-49 |
| 9:15 | | +2 | Jusuf Nurkic makes two point driving hook shot | 37-51 |
| 9:03 | | Taylor Hendricks misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:01 | | Suns defensive rebound | ||
| 8:45 | | +2 | Jusuf Nurkic makes two point cutting layup (Bradley Beal assists) | 37-53 |
| 8:28 | | Talen Horton-Tucker misses two point fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 8:25 | | Nassir Little defensive rebound | ||
| 8:20 | | +2 | Bol Bol makes two point running dunk (Grayson Allen assists) | 37-55 |
| 8:20 | | Jazz 60 second timeout | ||
| 8:07 | | Bol Bol shooting foul (Lauri Markkanen draws the foul) | ||
| 8:07 | | +1 | Lauri Markkanen makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 38-55 |
| 8:07 | | +1 | Lauri Markkanen makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 39-55 |
| 7:54 | | +2 | Bradley Beal makes two point pullup jump shot (Jusuf Nurkic assists) | 39-57 |
| 7:37 | | Bol Bol shooting foul (Collin Sexton draws the foul) | ||
| 7:37 | | Collin Sexton misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 7:37 | | Jazz offensive rebound | ||
| 7:37 | | Collin Sexton misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | ||
| 7:35 | | Nassir Little defensive rebound | ||
| 7:27 | | Bradley Beal misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 7:23 | | John Collins defensive rebound | ||
| 7:20 | | Eric Gordon blocks Collin Sexton's two point running layup | ||
| 7:20 | | Jazz offensive rebound | ||
| 7:14 | | Collin Sexton turnover (traveling) | ||
| 7:04 | | Bradley Beal turnover (bad pass) (Walker Kessler steals) | ||
| 7:01 | | +2 | Keyonte George makes two point running dunk | 41-57 |
| 7:00 | | Suns 60 second timeout | ||
| 6:37 | | +3 | Bradley Beal makes three point jump shot (Nassir Little assists) | 41-60 |
| 6:18 | | +2 | Lauri Markkanen makes two point pullup jump shot (Keyonte George assists) | 43-60 |
| 6:00 | | Nassir Little misses three point jump shot | ||
| 5:57 | | Collin Sexton defensive rebound | ||
| 5:51 | | Keyonte George misses three point jump shot | ||
| 5:48 | | Collin Sexton offensive rebound | ||
| 5:45 | | +2 | Lauri Markkanen makes two point cutting layup (Collin Sexton assists) | 45-60 |
| 5:31 | | Jusuf Nurkic misses three point jump shot | ||
| 5:28 | | Kris Dunn defensive rebound | ||
| 5:24 | | Nassir Little blocks Collin Sexton's two point running layup | ||
| 5:21 | | Walker Kessler offensive rebound | ||
| 5:13 | | Collin Sexton misses three point jump shot | ||
| 5:10 | | Jusuf Nurkic defensive rebound | ||
| 5:05 | | Eric Gordon misses three point running jump shot | ||
| 5:00 | | Josh Okogie offensive rebound | ||
| 5:00 | | Josh Okogie turnover (bad pass) (Kris Dunn steals) | ||
| 5:00 | | Nassir Little personal foul (Kris Dunn draws the foul) | ||
| 5:00 | | Kris Dunn misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 5:00 | | Jazz offensive rebound | ||
| 5:00 | | +1 | Kris Dunn makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 46-60 |
| 4:46 | | +2 | Josh Okogie makes two point driving layup (Grayson Allen assists) | 46-62 |
| 4:38 | | +2 | Keyonte George makes two point driving finger roll layup | 48-62 |
| 4:28 | | Grayson Allen misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 4:25 | | Josh Okogie offensive rebound | ||
| 4:21 | | Walker Kessler blocks Josh Okogie's two point driving layup | ||
| 4:19 | | Walker Kessler defensive rebound | ||
| 4:14 | | +3 | Collin Sexton makes three point jump shot (Walker Kessler assists) | 51-62 |
| 4:13 | | Suns 60 second timeout | ||
| 3:53 | | +3 | Eric Gordon makes three point jump shot (Grayson Allen assists) | 51-65 |
| 3:36 | | +3 | Lauri Markkanen makes three point jump shot (Walker Kessler assists) | 54-65 |
| 3:22 | | +2 | Kevin Durant makes two point pullup jump shot (Grayson Allen assists) | 54-67 |
| 3:07 | | Lauri Markkanen misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 3:05 | | Drew Eubanks defensive rebound | ||
| 2:53 | | +2 | Eric Gordon makes two point driving floating bank jump shot | 54-69 |
| 2:32 | | Jordan Clarkson misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 2:31 | | Walker Kessler offensive rebound | ||
| 2:25 | | Kevin Durant shooting foul (Lauri Markkanen draws the foul) | ||
| 2:25 |