National Basketball Association
Phoenix 133, Charlotte 99
When: 7:00 PM ET, Sunday, January 2, 2022
Where: Spectrum Center, Charlotte, North Carolina
Officials:
#33 Sean Corbin, # Jamahl Ralls, #82 Suyash Mehta
Attendance:
19088
By Field Level Media
Devin Booker scored 24 points as the Phoenix Suns got back on track with a 133-99 blasting of the host Charlotte Hornets on Sunday night.
The Suns entered having lost three of their previous four games to drop out of the top spot in the Western Conference. On Friday, they were crushed by the Boston Celtics 123-108 to begin a three-game road swing.
Jalen Smith had 19 points for the Suns on Sunday, while reserve Landry Shamet pumped in 17 points and Mikal Bridges had 15. Cameron Johnson and Cameron Payne both had 14 points for Phoenix.
Ex-Hornet Bismack Biyombo provided 11 points and six rebounds for the Suns, while Chris Paul had 16 assists to go with seven points and six rebounds in a return to his home state.
With 9:37 to play, the Suns' lead was 43 points at 119-76 following a Shamet dunk.
It was quite a show for a Phoenix team without Deandre Ayton, JaVale McGee and Jae Crowder because of COVID-19 protocol. Head coach Monty Williams also was in protocol, while Abdel Nader has a knee injury.
LaMelo Ball had 17 points for the Hornets, while Kelly Oubre Jr. had 15 and Ish Smith had 13 for Charlotte, which had a three-game winning streak snapped. Miles Bridges, who missed the previous two games while in COVID protocol, added 10 points.
Charlotte shot just 9 of 35 (25.7 percent) on 3-pointers. The Hornets also had 18 turnovers.
Shamet drained five 3-pointers for the Suns, while Booker, Johnson and Bridges all made three from distance.
Booker had 20 points by halftime as the Suns led 73-47. Paul had only two points at the midway mark but made an impact with 10 assists.
The score was at 38-34 early in the second quarter before the Suns broke away. Smith scored five points in a 10-0 run.
Phoenix finished with a 52-35 rebounding edge.
The Suns defeated the Hornets 137-106 last month in Phoenix.
Charlotte forward PJ Washington remained sidelined by COVID protocols.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
| Phoenix |
|
Charlotte |
|
Devin Booker 24 |
Scoring |
LaMelo Ball 17 |
|
Chris Paul 16 |
Assists |
Ish Smith 8 |
|
Jalen Smith 12 |
Rebounds |
Gordon Hayward 7 |
|
Devin Booker 3 |
Free Throws Made |
LaMelo Ball 4 |
|
Landry Shamet 4 |
Steals |
Jalen McDaniels 3 |
|
Jalen Smith 2 |
Blocks |
JT Thor 3 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| Phoenix
|
133 |
50.5 |
17-41 |
12-12 |
36 |
53 |
4 |
15 |
17 |
| Charlotte
|
99 |
45.9 |
9-35 |
12-21 |
27 |
34 |
9 |
10 |
18 |
Upcoming Games
-
Charlotte will play their next game on the road against Washington. The Hornets have a W/L % of .526 after a win and .500 after a loss.
-
Phoenix will play their next game on the road against New Orleans. The Suns have a W/L % of .786 after a win and .750 after a loss.
For more information, contact us