Chicago, Feb. 8 (BUS): Devin Booker scored 38 points and the NBA leaders Phoenix Suns held together to defeat the Chicago Bulls 127-124 on Monday evening.
The Suns advanced by 27 points in the third quarter and withstood a push down the extension to win for the thirteenth time in 14 games. They improved to 43-10 overall and topped the league 21-5 on the road, the AP reports.
Booker scored 30 points for the third time in four games. The All-Star made 14 off 23 shots, including five three-pointers.
Chris Paul added 19 points and 11 assists. JaVale McGee finished with 16 points and eight rebounds, and Michael Bridges scored 15 points.
Chicago’s DeMar DeRozan scored 38 goals after scoring a season-high 45 points in Sunday’s loss to Philadelphia.
Zach Lavigne added 32 points after missing the previous two games due to back spasms.
Malcolm Hill scored the last eight points, including a corner kick at the bell, to pull Chicago down within three points. But the Bulls, who finished second in the Eastern Conference with NBA champion Milwaukee, lost for the third time in four games.
Phoenix was rolling with an 88-61 lead halfway through third after hitting a 19-foot Booker, then holding out a push down the Chicago stretch.
Three-point play was cut by DeRozan to 113-104 with 5:56 in the game. Jae Crowder calmed the crowd with 3. Deandre Ayton scored from a hook and hit 1 from two free throws to make the game 15 points ahead of 4:42 from the left.
The Suns took control in the second quarter while leading 67-49 in the first half.
Booker scored 22 in the inning, and went 8 of 10 from the field with three three throws. The Suns went on a run of 17-3 early in the second quarter to stretch a five-point lead to 19. A three-point play brought Bridges midway through the quarter to 58-37.
Hint
Suns: Phoenix coach Monty Williams joked, when asked where he sees Billy Donovan’s fingerprints in Chicago: “I’m not a forensic scientist.” Williams was Donovan’s first assistant during the 2015-16 season with Oklahoma City. Donovan is competing with the Bulls in the East in his second season coaching them. “I learned a lot about training and the different ways to sprint,” Williams said. “You can see that the foundation they laid last year is paying off now.”
The Bulls: G Coby White earned 13 points after missing back-to-back matches due to straining of the right adductor.
next one
Suns: Visit Philadelphia on Tuesday.
Bulls: Visit Charlotte on Wednesday.