Suns Secure Comfortable Win Over Pistons
The Phoenix Suns defeated the Detroit Pistons, 135-108, at Little Caesars Arena on Sunday.
The Suns (33-9) looked absolutely dominant in this contest, as they grabbed an early lead against the Pistons (10-32) and never looked back. Phoenix quickly established the terms and conditions of the game after securing a 39-35 lead following the first quarter, and this high-scoring affair saw the Suns build a double-digit lead after a 25-19 score in the second quarter. With the Suns up by 10 at halftime, one would have imagined the Suns would slow things down but such wasn't the case. The Suns also won the final two quarters, 39-28 and 32-26, and they ended winning the game comfortably by a massive 27-point margin. With the win, the Suns improved to 16-4 on the road while the Pistons fell to 7-14 at home.
Devin Booker led the way for the Suns with 30 points, and he also added four rebounds and four assists. Chris Paul and Mikal Bridges produced 10 points each, with Paul also adding six rebounds and six assists while Bridges added three boards and four dimes. Jae Crowder only had nine points, but he also produced 11 rebounds, three assists and two steals. JaVale McGee and Cameron Payne had 20 points each off the bench.
Cade Cunningham was the leading scorer for the Pistons with 21 points and four assists, and Hamidou Diallo had 10 points with four rebounds. No other Detroit starter scored in double digits, and Saddiq Bey struggled since he also had eight points. Corey Joseph had 21 points and seven assists, and Trey Lyles posted 18 points while adding six rebounds.
The Suns (33-9) looked absolutely dominant in this contest, as they grabbed an early lead against the Pistons (10-32) and never looked back. Phoenix quickly established the terms and conditions of the game after securing a 39-35 lead following the first quarter, and this high-scoring affair saw the Suns build a double-digit lead after a 25-19 score in the second quarter. With the Suns up by 10 at halftime, one would have imagined the Suns would slow things down but such wasn't the case. The Suns also won the final two quarters, 39-28 and 32-26, and they ended winning the game comfortably by a massive 27-point margin. With the win, the Suns improved to 16-4 on the road while the Pistons fell to 7-14 at home.
Devin Booker led the way for the Suns with 30 points, and he also added four rebounds and four assists. Chris Paul and Mikal Bridges produced 10 points each, with Paul also adding six rebounds and six assists while Bridges added three boards and four dimes. Jae Crowder only had nine points, but he also produced 11 rebounds, three assists and two steals. JaVale McGee and Cameron Payne had 20 points each off the bench.
Cade Cunningham was the leading scorer for the Pistons with 21 points and four assists, and Hamidou Diallo had 10 points with four rebounds. No other Detroit starter scored in double digits, and Saddiq Bey struggled since he also had eight points. Corey Joseph had 21 points and seven assists, and Trey Lyles posted 18 points while adding six rebounds.
Rockets Edge Kings, 118-112
The Houston Rockets defeated the Sacramento Kings, 118-112, at Golden 1 Center on Sunday evening.
The two teams had combined for 240 points at Toyota Center on Friday night, so it wasn't exactly surprising when the first half ended with the Kings holding a 60-55 lead. Houston was able to make a two-point dent in its deficit during the third quarter, but an 8-0 run by the visitors early in the fourth is what helped turn the contest in their favor, while a key late driving layup by Eric Gordon gave them just enough breathing room after Sacramento had closed to within two with 47.8 seconds left.
Christian Wood and Kevin Porter co-led the Rockets with 23 points, with Wood adding 14 rebounds and Porter dishing out seven assists among their other contributions. Garrison Mathews poured in 17 points. Gordon and Jalen Green contributed 15 points each. Gordon added seven rebounds and two assists, while Green recorded five boards and four dimes.
Buddy Hield paced the Kings with 27 points, complementing them with five rebounds, two assists and four steals. Terence Davis supplied 17 points, six boards, five assists and four steals. Davion Mitchell registered 16 points, seven assists, four rebounds and four steals. Chimezie Metu and De'Aaron Fox posted matching 14-point tallies, with Metu pulling down seven rebounds and Fox contributing four assists and three rebounds. Harrison Barnes delivered 12 points, three assists, two rebounds and two steals.
The Rockets remain on the road and visit the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night, while the Kings host the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night as well.
The two teams had combined for 240 points at Toyota Center on Friday night, so it wasn't exactly surprising when the first half ended with the Kings holding a 60-55 lead. Houston was able to make a two-point dent in its deficit during the third quarter, but an 8-0 run by the visitors early in the fourth is what helped turn the contest in their favor, while a key late driving layup by Eric Gordon gave them just enough breathing room after Sacramento had closed to within two with 47.8 seconds left.
Christian Wood and Kevin Porter co-led the Rockets with 23 points, with Wood adding 14 rebounds and Porter dishing out seven assists among their other contributions. Garrison Mathews poured in 17 points. Gordon and Jalen Green contributed 15 points each. Gordon added seven rebounds and two assists, while Green recorded five boards and four dimes.
Buddy Hield paced the Kings with 27 points, complementing them with five rebounds, two assists and four steals. Terence Davis supplied 17 points, six boards, five assists and four steals. Davion Mitchell registered 16 points, seven assists, four rebounds and four steals. Chimezie Metu and De'Aaron Fox posted matching 14-point tallies, with Metu pulling down seven rebounds and Fox contributing four assists and three rebounds. Harrison Barnes delivered 12 points, three assists, two rebounds and two steals.
The Rockets remain on the road and visit the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night, while the Kings host the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night as well.
Jazz Top Nuggets To End Four-Game Slide
By Dan Bruno
The Utah Jazz defeated the host Denver Nuggets, 125-102, at Ball Arena on Sunday evening.
The contest got out to a high-scoring start as the Jazz led, 37-33, after one quarter. The visitors kept the upper hand through the second and rallied to a 10-point lead by halftime. The Nuggets came out stronger in the third and grabbed a brief lead late in the quarter, before the Jazz reclaimed a three-point advantage heading into the final frame. The Jazz carried the momentum into the fourth and outscored the hosts by 20 points in the quarter to run away with the road win and snap a four-game slide.
Donovan Mitchell led the Jazz with 31 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals, in 35 minutes. Bojan Bogdanovic followed up with 21 points, four rebounds, five assists and a steal, while Rudy Gobert totaled 18 points, 19 rebounds, two assists and two blocks. The Jazz shot 52.4 percent from the field, including 15-of-39 from long range.
Meanwhile, Nikola Jokic led the Nuggets with 25 points, 15 rebounds, 14 assists and two steals, in 37 minutes. Aaron Gordon followed up with 20 points, seven rebounds, six assists and a steal, while Will Barton tallied 16 points, two rebounds, four assists, a steal and a block. The Nugget shot 44.2 percent from the field, including 11-of-43 from deep.
The Nuggets (22-20) will look to get back on track as they play host to the Clippers on Wednesday. The Jazz (29-14) play host to the Lakers on Monday.
The contest got out to a high-scoring start as the Jazz led, 37-33, after one quarter. The visitors kept the upper hand through the second and rallied to a 10-point lead by halftime. The Nuggets came out stronger in the third and grabbed a brief lead late in the quarter, before the Jazz reclaimed a three-point advantage heading into the final frame. The Jazz carried the momentum into the fourth and outscored the hosts by 20 points in the quarter to run away with the road win and snap a four-game slide.
Donovan Mitchell led the Jazz with 31 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals, in 35 minutes. Bojan Bogdanovic followed up with 21 points, four rebounds, five assists and a steal, while Rudy Gobert totaled 18 points, 19 rebounds, two assists and two blocks. The Jazz shot 52.4 percent from the field, including 15-of-39 from long range.
Meanwhile, Nikola Jokic led the Nuggets with 25 points, 15 rebounds, 14 assists and two steals, in 37 minutes. Aaron Gordon followed up with 20 points, seven rebounds, six assists and a steal, while Will Barton tallied 16 points, two rebounds, four assists, a steal and a block. The Nugget shot 44.2 percent from the field, including 11-of-43 from deep.
The Nuggets (22-20) will look to get back on track as they play host to the Clippers on Wednesday. The Jazz (29-14) play host to the Lakers on Monday.
T'Wolves Throttle Warriors, 119-99
The Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the visiting Golden State Warriors, 119-99, at Target Center on Sunday.
While there were nine ties and 11 lead changes through the first 30 minutes of this game, an 18-4 run to end the third quarter grabbed Minnesota their win. They then started the fourth quarter on a 20-3 run, grabbing a game-high 27-point lead. That 38-7 run helped to cap off a 28-18 fourth quarter. The Timberwolves shot 50 percent from the field and 37 percent from three-point range while holding the Warriors to 39 percent from the field and 31 percent from long range. In addition, Minnesota out-assisted Golden State, 30-20, while tripling them up in blocks, 9-3. The Timberwolves bench also outscored the Warriors bench, 57-38.
The Warriors (31-12) were led by Jordan Poole, providing 20 points, four rebounds and three assists. Klay Thompson totaled 13 points, four rebounds and two assists. Otto Porter amassed 12 points, nine rebounds, four assists and two steals, while Andrew Wiggins accrued 12 points, two rebounds and four assists. Jonathan Kuminga led the bench with 19 points and seven rebounds.
The Timberwolves (21-22) were led by Karl-Anthony Towns, tallying 26 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks. Patrick Beverley collected 10 points, four rebounds and four assists. D'Angelo Russell registered seven points, three rebounds, 12 assists and two steals. Jaylen Nowell led the bench with 17 points, two rebounds and four assists while Malik Beasley had 16 points, two rebounds and three assists.
Both teams return to action on Tuesday against Eastern Conference teams, with Golden State playing host to the Detroit Pistons and Minnesota traveling east to face the New York Knicks.
While there were nine ties and 11 lead changes through the first 30 minutes of this game, an 18-4 run to end the third quarter grabbed Minnesota their win. They then started the fourth quarter on a 20-3 run, grabbing a game-high 27-point lead. That 38-7 run helped to cap off a 28-18 fourth quarter. The Timberwolves shot 50 percent from the field and 37 percent from three-point range while holding the Warriors to 39 percent from the field and 31 percent from long range. In addition, Minnesota out-assisted Golden State, 30-20, while tripling them up in blocks, 9-3. The Timberwolves bench also outscored the Warriors bench, 57-38.
The Warriors (31-12) were led by Jordan Poole, providing 20 points, four rebounds and three assists. Klay Thompson totaled 13 points, four rebounds and two assists. Otto Porter amassed 12 points, nine rebounds, four assists and two steals, while Andrew Wiggins accrued 12 points, two rebounds and four assists. Jonathan Kuminga led the bench with 19 points and seven rebounds.
The Timberwolves (21-22) were led by Karl-Anthony Towns, tallying 26 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks. Patrick Beverley collected 10 points, four rebounds and four assists. D'Angelo Russell registered seven points, three rebounds, 12 assists and two steals. Jaylen Nowell led the bench with 17 points, two rebounds and four assists while Malik Beasley had 16 points, two rebounds and three assists.
Both teams return to action on Tuesday against Eastern Conference teams, with Golden State playing host to the Detroit Pistons and Minnesota traveling east to face the New York Knicks.