Coming off a much-needed win, the Phoenix Suns are traveling to take on the Utah Jazz on Monday. The Jazz, 35-39, are a ways out of even being in the play-in tournament.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Still, the young Utah squad has been able to put together some impressive wins this season. The Jazz beat the Suns even behind a 49-point performance from Devin Booker back in November.
With that being said, this time around, the Suns’ season is far more important than that of the Jazz.
The Jazz were able to close the gap in the second quarter, going on a 14-2 run with less than three minutes remaining.
Phoenix was able to hold onto the lead however, leading 57-52 at halftime.
Booker’s Hot Start Goes Cold
Yes, it’s become a normality for Devin Booker to score at will at this point. Since returning from his groin injury, Booker has resumed the heavy mantle as the No.1 option on the floor, which seems to be the case even with Kevin Durant.
Booker got off to an impressive start in the first quarter, scoring 18 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field. He knocked down both of his three-point attempts during the quarter as well.
In the second quarter, Booker couldn’t convert the same. He ended up scoreless in the quarter, ending the half with a 5-of-14 shooting display.
Return of Ayton
The reserves unit in Bismack Biyombo and Jock Landale have been able to make due without Deandre Ayton in their recent outings.
Yet now, with Ayton back in the fold, the hope is their progression can resume from the bench roles. Ayton made his return to the court on Monday, though it’s in limited action.
Through 16 minutes, Ayton put up six points and four rebounds in the first half. Shaking off the rust was expected given his extended time out of action.
Still, for the Suns to be successful against talented bigs such as Jazz big man Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler, Ayton’s few moments he plays will be impactful.
Even Contributions from the Bench
Recently, Terrence Ross and T.J. Warren have been the talk of the town with the reserves. Both players have aimed to come in and provide an instant spark off the bench, which aided in the Suns taking the win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday.
While neither player put up numbers that jump off the stat sheet, there was more of a unified contribution from the bench in the first half.
The bench combined for 22 points during the half, nearly being up to par with that of the starters if not for Booker’s performance. The numbers aren’t suggestively high for a halftime mark, which suggests that the reserves could be following the intensity of the starters, which hasn’t been impressive so far.
