PHOENIX — Kevin Durant scored 26 points, Eric Gordon added 21 and the Phoenix Suns easily handled the Utah Jazz 126-104 on Saturday night.
The Suns dominated the majority of the game, never trailing after the first few minutes. They opened a 16-point lead by halftime and led by 30 midway through the third quarter after Grayson Allen threw down a one-handed dunk in traffic.
Phoenix was playing without two-thirds of its star trio. Devin Booker (ankle) missed his second straight game while Bradley Beal (back) has missed all three games this season.
Durant — plus the Suns' supporting cast — was plenty to handle against the Jazz. Allen added 17 points, while Jusuf Nurkic had 10 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Phoenix poured in 40 points in the third quarter to put away the game.
Durant was a methodical 8 of 11 from the field and hit all nine of his free throws. The 13-time All-Star added seven assists.
The Jazz had 19 turnovers in a sloppy performance. Lauri Markkanen had 19 points, making five 3-pointers. Collin Sexton scored 14 points over the bench while rookie Keyonte George, the 16th overall pick out of Baylor, added 12 points, seven rebounds and six assists.
Phoenix took a 66-50 lead at halftime after shooting 54% from the field. Gordon scored 21 points in the first half on 9-of-12 shooting, including 3 of 6 from 3-point range. Durant added 14 points and five assists.
UP NEXT
Jazz: Travel to face Denver on Monday.
Suns: Host San Antonio on Tuesday.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA
Arizona sports
The city of Phoenix is home to five major professional sports league teams; The NFL's Arizona Cardinals, NBA's Phoenix Suns, WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks and NHL's Arizona Coyotes.
The Cardinals have made the State Farm Stadium in Glendale their home turf and the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix is home to both the Suns and the Mercury. The Indoor Football League’s Arizona Rattlers also play at the Footprint. Phoenix has a soccer team with the USL's Phoenix Rising FC.
The Valley hosts multiple major sporting events on a yearly basis, including college football's Fiesta Bowl and Guaranteed Rate Bowl; the PGA Tour’s highest-attended event, the Waste Management Phoenix Open; NASCAR events each spring and fall; and Cactus League Spring Training.
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