What we learned from Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns topping Utah Jazz in NBA Cup

Posted by Admin November 13, 2024 NBA

SALT LAKE CITY — No tugging at the shorts Tuesday night.

Devin Booker looked better in leading the Phoenix Suns past the Utah Jazz, 120-112, in NBA Cup West Group B play at Delta Center.

Scoring a game-high 31 points, Booker may just be over his illness that left him battling fatigue in Sunday’s overtime loss to the Sacramento Kings. He went 5-of-9 from 3.

Bradley Beal delivered 24 points in 29 minutes, but he didn’t return to the game after checking out with 7:19 remaining in the fourth.

Suns coach Mike Budenholzer said Beal went to the locker room with left calf tightness and is unsure about his status for Wednesday’s game at Sacramento in the second of a back-to-back.

Beal said it was a precautionary move to stay out of the game, believes it’s partly due to the knee injury he suffered in Sunday’s loss to the Kings and is hopeful he’ll play Wednesday.

He felt tightness after kicking himself on a crossover move in the third quarter. Beal has been gutting it out through a right sore shoulder, right elbow sprain, ankle tweak, knee and now calf tightness.

John Collins paced the Jazz (2-8) with 29 points and 10 rebounds.

The Suns (9-2) are now 1-1 minus Kevin Durant, who missed his second game with a left calf strain that will sideline him for Phoenix’s next five games.

Due for a re-evaluation the weekend of Nov. 23-24, Durant didn’t make the trip to Utah to begin a four-game road trip. The Suns will play Sacramento in the second of a back-to-back looking to avenge their lone home loss of the season.

Here are three takeaways from Phoenix’s response win from Sunday’s loss to the Kings.

Point differential in NBA Cup

The Suns still have just one double-digit victory, a 114-102 victory over Dallas in the home opener.

They were unable to deliver a second one against a two-win Jazz team in a situation in which point differential matters in the NBA Cup.

They are winning, which is the actual end game, but the Suns could use a comfortable victory. If nothing else just to prove to themselves that they can put teams away.

Looked like they were on their way to cruising to a double-digit win when Booker nailed a 3 to put the Suns up 117-103 with 1:27 left.

They still led by 11 when looking for a 2-for-1 situation to boost their point differential, but Grayson Allen missed a 3 with 33.3 seconds left. If he makes it, Phoenix is back up 14.

The Suns instead gave up two 3s from Jordan Clarkson that made the difference six with 17.1 seconds.

Budenholzer wasn’t coaching last season with the inaugural In-Season Tournament took flight. He said after the game winning is the most important, but understands the entertainment part of this.

Booker said he wishes all games were like this, believing if running up the score wasn’t considered a bad thing, teams would play hard until the final buzzer.

It’s tricky, but the Suns still haven’t put teams away by a double-digit margin even in an NBA Cup game when that’s part of determining who advances to the quarterfinals out of group play.

Plumlee, Oghodaro make up for Nurkic absence

Suns coach Mike Budenholzer doesn’t believe it’s just one thing wrong with Jusuf Nurkic’s sore left ankle, but it was enough to cut Sunday’s night short at halftime and not play at all Tuesday night.

He hopes Nurkic’s injury is “short term.”

The Suns were more than able to get by without him against the Jazz thanks to Mason Plumlee and Oso Ighoharo.

The Jazz didn’t have Walker Kessler due to right hip soreness, leaving them down a big man. So they started John Collins at the five and played rookie Kyle Filipowski and veteran Drew Eubanks who was with the Suns last season.

Collins can score. So his huge night isn’t a shock.

Filipowski went for a career-high 18 points off the bench, 13 more than his 5.1 scoring average coming into the game.

That was a bonus for Utah. As for Eubanks, he gave them four points off the bench in four minutes.

Very solid contributions, but Plumlee and Ighodaro helped offset those efforts in combining for 21 points and 26 rebounds with rebounding being the more important contribution.

Plumlee posted a double-double of 15 points and 14 rebounds while Ighodaro scored six points and snatched down a career-high 12 boards after having 11 total in his first five games.

Scorers enjoy playing with those type of bigs.

How the Suns won without Durant

They fit well within the offense in terms of the dribble handoffs, dives to the rim, offensive rebounds and making the correct pass.

Let’s count the ways.

One, Booker hit clutch shots to keep the Jazz at bay and excite the crowd at the same time. He closed the way Durant would’ve in terms of making shots.

Two, Beal was in his bag in terms of the pullups, the stop and pops and getting to the rim.

If the Suns can get him being this aggressive with Durant on the floor, that makes the Suns even harder to guard. If he hadn’t experienced calf tightness, Suns win by 10-plus.

Third, Plumlee and Ighodaro were beyond solid. Read above.

Four, Phoenix shot 18-of-39 from 3, outrebounded the Jazz by 10 boards, 42-32, and only committed 10 turnovers that led to just 11 Utah points.

Grayson Allen found the touch from deep with a 4-of-9 effort much to the delight of the Jazz crowd as he spent his rookie season in Utah.

Beal went 4-of-7 on 3s and said after the game Utah is one his favorite places to play, calling Delta Center is a “shooter’s gym.”

Rookie Ryan Dunn made both of his 3s with the second one from the corner off a Booker find to push Phoenix’s lead back to double digits, 114-103, with 2:04 remaining.

Five, Phoenix is simply a better team. Credit Utah for battling, but the Suns should’ve won.

The bigger test will come Wednesday in the second of a back-to-back against a team that has multiple closers in DeMar DeRozan, De’Aaron Fox and Malik Monk to a degree. The Suns will have to get stops as the Kings hunted out Tyus Jones and looked to take advantage of his lack of size.

If Nurkic and Beal don’t play, they’ll really have to lean on their depth, especially in the second of a back-to-back. The Suns went 10 deep Tuesday with Monte Morris getting minutes after last playing Nov. 2 against Portland.

Still no Bol Bol sighting on the court. It’s interesting.

Have opinions about the current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-810-5518. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin.

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