National Basketball Association
Utah 110, Phoenix 89
When: 9:00 PM ET, Monday, December 21, 2015
Where: Vivint Smart Home Arena, Salt Lake City, Utah
Officials:
#8 Marc Davis, #5 Kane Fitzgerald, #77 Karl Lane
Attendance:
19911
By The Sports Xchange
SALT LAKE CITY -- Phoenix made a starting lineup change Monday night, but it was the Utah Jazz who started strong and never looked back.
Forward Gordon Hayward scored 24 points, and the Jazz won consecutive games for the first time in December with a 110-89 rout of the Suns.
"The guys that started the game today came ready to play," Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. "There is no magic behind this lineup or that lineup. They just came ready. It's about us coming out and playing hard, and that's what those guys did tonight."
Hayward opened the game with a 3-pointer and scored 12 points in the first quarter to put the Jazz in control from the beginning. The Jazz (12-14) never trailed en route to their second straight wire-to-wire win.
"We started out the game really well," Hayward said. "I think because of that -- they were on a back-to-back -- it kind of was deflating for them and set the tone for us the rest of the game."
Hayward hit eight of 16 shots and also finished with four assists, three rebounds and two steals. Center Derrick Favors contributed 18 points and nine rebounds, while guard Rodney Hood added 14 points.
Utah guard Alec Burks had the highlight of the game with a late throw-down that brought fans and teammates off their feet. Burks finished with 13 points.
The Jazz hadn't won consecutive games since beating the Los Angeles Clippers and New Orleans Pelicans on Nov. 25 and 28. Utah beat Denver on Friday to snap a four-game losing streak.
Guard Brandon Knight, playing a reserve role as Devin Booker started, had a huge game for the Suns. He led all scorers with 26 points. However, guard Eric Bledsoe only had eight points.
"We just thought maybe those young guys could get in there and give a little emotion and a little action in the beginning," Suns coach Jeff Hornacek said. "And it didn't happen."
Phoenix (12-18) dropped its second game in a row after losing to Milwaukee on Sunday.
Forward Mirza Teletovic also gave the Suns some spark off the bench with 17 points and seven rebounds, but Phoenix shot 39.2 percent from the field.
Utah shot 45.6 percent overall and was 9-for-25 from 3-point territory.
The Jazz established themselves with runs at the beginning of each half.
Utah scored the game's first seven points and took an early 14-2 lead before going ahead by as many as 18 in the opening half.
The Jazz had an even bigger start to the second half, bursting out to an 11-0 spurt to seize a 20-point lead.
Knight gave Phoenix its first points of the second half with a jumper four-plus minutes into the third quarter.
"I'm just here to play basketball," Knight said. "Whatever I'm asked to do, I'll do it. I'm just here to try to win games."
NOTES: The Suns pulled a surprise with the starting lineup, inserting rookie G Devin Booker for G Brandon Knight. Booker became the youngest Sun to ever start on Nov. 23 (19 years, 24 days), and he scored six points in 13 minutes. ... Jazz players Alec Burks, Derrick Favors, Gordon Hayward and Joe Ingles bought 60 tickets apiece for the remaining home games to be donated to local youths and charities. Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey also bought a block of tickets to give to school teachers and staff. In all, 11,000-plus people will get to watch Jazz games through their generosity. ... F/C Derrick Favors, on playing against the Suns, who have multiple former Jazz guys in their organization, including coaches Jeff Hornacek and Earl Watson: "Now they know a lot of stuff about your game (and) they can go in there and tell the team, 'OK, he likes to do this, he likes to do that. Take away this, take away that.' I don't like it."
Top Game Performances
| Phoenix |
|
Utah |
|
Brandon Knight 26 |
Scoring |
Gordon Hayward 24 |
|
Markieff Morris 4 |
Assists |
Gordon Hayward 4 |
|
Mirza Teletovic 7 |
Rebounds |
Derrick Favors 9 |
|
Brandon Knight 8 |
Free Throws Made |
Alec Burks 6 |
|
Ronnie Price 2 |
Steals |
Rodney Hood 3 |
|
N/A |
Blocks |
Derrick Favors 2 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| Phoenix
|
89 |
39.2 |
7-24 |
20-22 |
12 |
40 |
0 |
3 |
16 |
| Utah
|
110 |
45.6 |
9-25 |
29-37 |
16 |
47 |
6 |
8 |
11 |
Upcoming Games
-
Utah will play their next game on the road against Golden State. The Jazz have a W/L % of .417 after a win and .500 after a loss.
-
Phoenix will play their next game at home against Denver. The Suns have a W/L % of .308 after a win and .471 after a loss.
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