Game ID: 22300035
Phoenix Suns @ Utah Jazz
Friday, November 17, 2023 at 10:00 PM ET
Delta Center, Salt Lake City, UT
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
UTA 38 37 24 29 128PHX 41 34 27 29 131
PHX @ UTA ScoutingPHX @ UTA Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
UTA availability going into 11/06 · 1 day's restOUT Hendricks missed 6 since 10/27, out tonight
OUT Sensabaugh missed 6 since 10/27, out tonight
NEW Horton-Tucker 20 to 25 min over the last 5
UTA availability going into 11/08 · 1 day's restOUT Hendricks missed 7 since 10/27, out tonight
OUT Sensabaugh missed 7 since 10/27, out tonight
NEW Horton-Tucker 20 to 26 min over the last 5
UTA availability going into 11/10 · 1 day's restOUT Hendricks missed 8 since 10/27, out tonight
OUT Sensabaugh missed 8 since 10/27, out tonight
UTA availability going into 11/14 · 3 days' restOUT Kessler missed 2 since 11/08, out tonight
OUT Hendricks missed 9 since 10/27, out tonight
OUT Sensabaugh missed 9 since 10/27, out tonight
OUT Yurtseven missed 2 since 11/08, returns tonight: 1 min (6% of 11)
UTA availability going into 11/17 · 2 days' restOUT Kessler missed 3 since 11/08, out tonight
OUT Hendricks missed 10 since 10/27, out tonight
OUT Sensabaugh missed 10 since 10/27, out tonight
BACK Yurtseven back 11/14 after 2, 1 min since (6% of 11)
UTA availability going into 11/19 · 1 day's restOUT Kessler missed 4 since 11/08, out tonight
OUT Hendricks missed 11 since 10/27, out tonight
OUT Sensabaugh missed 11 since 10/27, out tonight
BACK Yurtseven back 11/14 after 2, 1 min since (6% of 11)
UTA availability going into 11/21 · 1 day's restOUT Kessler missed 5 since 11/08, out tonight
OUT Hendricks missed 12 since 10/27, out tonight
OUT Sensabaugh missed 12 since 10/27, out tonight
OUT Yurtseven missed 2 since 11/17, returns tonight: 17 min (147% of 11)
NEW Markkanen 33 to 39 min over the last 5
NEW Collins 28 to 35 min over the last 5
NEW Agbaji 20 to 28 min over the last 5
UTA availability going into 11/22 · back-to-backOUT Kessler missed 6 since 11/08, out tonight
OUT Hendricks missed 13 since 10/27, out tonight
OUT Sensabaugh missed 13 since 10/27, out tonight
BACK Yurtseven back 11/14 after 2, 9 min since (77% of 11)
NEW Collins 28 to 35 min over the last 5
NEW Agbaji 20 to 27 min over the last 5
UTA availability going into 11/25 · 2 days' restOUT Kessler missed 7 since 11/08, returns tonight: 21 min (90% of 23)
OUT Hendricks missed 14 since 10/27, out tonight
OUT Sensabaugh missed 14 since 10/27, out tonight
BACK Yurtseven back 11/14 after 2, 11 min since (97% of 11)
NEW Collins 28 to 34 min over the last 5
PHX availability going into 11/08 · 2 days' restOUT Booker missed 2 since 11/04, out tonight
BACK Bates-Diop back 10/28 after 2, 17 min since (110% of 15)
BACK Metu back 10/28 after 2, 3 min since (25% of 12)
BACK Bol back 10/28 after 2, 3 min since (31% of 11)
NEW Okogie 16 to 24 min over the last 5
NEW Watanabe 13 to 22 min over the last 5
PHX availability going into 11/10 · 1 day's restOUT Booker missed 3 since 11/04, out tonight
BACK Metu back 11/04 after 2, 3 min since (27% of 12)
BACK Bol back 11/05 after 3, 3 min since (24% of 11)
NEW Okogie 16 to 23 min over the last 5
NEW Bates-Diop 15 to 23 min over the last 4
NEW Watanabe 13 to 21 min over the last 5
PHX availability going into 11/12 · 1 day's restOUT Booker missed 4 since 11/04, out tonight
OUT Metu missed 2 since 11/08, returns tonight: 1 min (6% of 12)
OUT Bol missed 2 since 11/08, out tonight
NEW Bates-Diop 15 to 25 min over the last 5
NEW Watanabe 13 to 20 min over the last 5
PHX availability going into 11/15 · 2 days' restOUT Booker missed 5 since 11/04, returns tonight: 26 min (71% of 36)
OUT Bol missed 3 since 11/08, out tonight
BACK Metu back 11/04 after 2, 2 min since (20% of 12)
NEW Okogie 16 to 21 min over the last 5
NEW Bates-Diop 15 to 26 min over the last 5
NEW Watanabe 13 to 18 min over the last 5
PHX availability going into 11/17 · 1 day's restOUT Bol missed 4 since 11/08, out tonight
BACK Booker back 11/15 after 5, 26 min since (71% of 36)
BACK Metu back 11/12 after 2, 2 min since (17% of 12)
NEW Bates-Diop 15 to 24 min over the last 5
NEW Watanabe 13 to 18 min over the last 5
PHX availability going into 11/19 · 1 day's restOUT Beal missed 2 since 11/15, out tonight
OUT Bol missed 5 since 11/08, out tonight
BACK Booker back 11/15 after 5, 29 min since (79% of 36)
BACK Metu back 11/12 after 2, 2 min since (17% of 12)
NEW Bates-Diop 15 to 24 min over the last 5
PHX availability going into 11/21 · 1 day's restOUT Beal missed 3 since 11/15, out tonight
OUT Metu missed 2 since 11/17, returns tonight: 6 min (47% of 12)
OUT Bol missed 6 since 11/08, out tonight
BACK Booker back 11/15 after 5, 33 min since (90% of 36)
NEW Bates-Diop 15 to 22 min over the last 5
PHX availability going into 11/22 · back-to-backOUT Beal missed 4 since 11/15, out tonight
OUT Watanabe missed 2 since 11/19, out tonight
OUT Bol missed 7 since 11/08, out tonight
BACK Booker back 11/15 after 5, 33 min since (90% of 36)
BACK Metu back 11/12 after 2, 3 min since (27% of 12)
NEW Gordon 28 to 35 min over the last 4
PHX availability going into 11/24 · 1 day's restOUT Beal missed 5 since 11/15, out tonight
OUT Watanabe missed 3 since 11/19, out tonight
OUT Bol missed 8 since 11/08, out tonight
BACK Booker back 11/15 after 5, 33 min since (90% of 36)
BACK Metu back 11/21 after 2, 9 min since (71% of 12)
NEW Gordon 28 to 34 min over the last 5
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Utah comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 121, shooting 46 percent and 36 from three, 19 free throws a game; Markkanen at 24 and Clarkson at 21 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Without Kessler (3 straight), Hendricks (10 straight), Sensabaugh (10 straight). 2 days' rest. Phoenix comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 114, shooting 47 percent and 41 from three, 25 free throws a game; Durant at 33 and Beal at 17 a game. It has won the glass by 9 a night. One day's rest.
So: Phoenix wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Phoenix allowing 114 a night to Utah's 121 and the line, where Phoenix takes 25 free throws a game to Utah's 19. Call it Phoenix 116, Utah 115, Utah keeping it close.
11/06 @ CHI 113-130 — UTA notes
UTA lost 113-130. UTA shot 48% (41 of 86) to CHI's 52%, 16 of 43 from three. UTA turned it over 22 times to CHI's 8, and CHI turned those into 12 steals. The glass went 52-36 for them. Markkanen led with 29 (8 of 15, 5 of 12 from three, 8 of 8 at the line); Kessler added 15, Collins 14. Q4 was theirs, 35-32, the deficit cut from 20 to 17, but the other 3 periods went 98-78 against them. George's -15 in 21 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/08 @ IND 118-134 — UTA notes
UTA lost 118-134. UTA shot 47% (45 of 96) to IND's 51%, 11 of 27 from three. UTA turned it over 21 times to IND's 11, and IND turned those into 14 steals. Clarkson led with 33 (12 of 26, 1 of 3 from three, 8 of 8 at the line); Markkanen added 24, Collins 14. Q3 was theirs, 38-34, the deficit cut from 7 to 3, but the other 3 periods went 100-80 against them. They led by as many as 10. Olynyk's -19 in 21 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/10 @ MEM 127-121 — UTA notes
UTA won 127-121. UTA shot 54% (41 of 76) to MEM's 46%, 18 of 37 from three, and went to the line 29 times to MEM's 13 — 27 points from the stripe to their 10. UTA turned it over 19 times to MEM's 11. Markkanen led with 26 (8 of 13, 4 of 9 from three, 6 of 6 at the line); Clarkson added 26, Collins 18. The hinge was Q2, 42-31: a lead of 2 became 13, and the lead reached 21. Clarkson was the night's best plus/minus at +14.
11/14 vs POR 115-99 — UTA notes
UTA won 115-99. UTA shot 46% (44 of 95) to POR's 42%, 13 of 43 from three. UTA turned it over 12 times to POR's 17. Clarkson led with 30 (13 of 19, 4 of 9 from three); Markkanen added 21, George 15. The hinge was Q1, 36-28: from level to 8 ahead, and the lead reached 17. Sexton was the night's best plus/minus at +14.
11/17 vs PHX 128-131 — UTA notes
UTA lost 128-131. UTA shot 51% (43 of 85) to PHX's 52%, 16 of 36 from three. Clarkson led with 37 (14 of 26, 5 of 10 from three); Markkanen added 21, Collins 15. Q2 was theirs, 37-34, the deficit cut from 3 to 0, but the other 3 periods went 97-91 against them.
11/19 vs PHX — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Utah comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 123, shooting 49 percent and 40 from three, 22 free throws a game; Clarkson at 27 and Markkanen at 24 a game. It has won the glass by 6 a night. Without Kessler (4 straight), Hendricks (11 straight), Sensabaugh (11 straight). One day's rest. Phoenix comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 118, shooting 47 percent and 44 from three, 25 free throws a game; Durant at 32 and Beal at 17 a game. It has won the glass by 6 a night. Without Beal (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Utah wins, and the game turns on the arc, Phoenix at 44 percent from three to Utah's 40. Call it Utah 119, Phoenix 118, Phoenix keeping it close.
11/21 @ LAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 108, shooting 51 percent and 39 from three, 26 free throws a game; James at 29 and Davis at 20 a game. They have won the glass by 5 a night. Without Vincent (10 straight). One day's rest. Utah comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 125 a night and allowing 125, shooting 47 percent and 39 from three, 25 free throws a game; Clarkson at 30 and Markkanen at 26 a game. It has won the glass by 6 a night. Without Kessler (5 straight), Hendricks (12 straight), Sensabaugh (12 straight). One day's rest.
So: The Lakers win, and the game turns on the defense, the Lakers allowing 108 a night to Utah's 125. Call it the Lakers 120, Utah 114.
11/22 @ POR — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Portland comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 97 a night and allowing 117, shooting 41 percent and 33 from three, 19 free throws a game; Grant at 21 and Ayton at 15 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 8 a night. Without Simons (13 straight), Henderson (9 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Utah comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 124, shooting 46 percent and 35 from three, 25 free throws a game; Clarkson at 24 and Markkanen at 23 a game. That is 3 straight losses. Without Kessler (6 straight), Hendricks (13 straight), Sensabaugh (13 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Utah wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Utah has been plus-4 a night and Portland minus-8 and the defense, Portland allowing 117 a night to Utah's 124. Call it Utah 116, Portland 113, Portland keeping it close.
11/25 vs NOP — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Utah comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 124, shooting 44 percent and 32 from three, 24 free throws a game; Markkanen at 23 and Clarkson at 22 a game. That is 4 straight losses. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Without Kessler (7 straight), Hendricks (14 straight), Sensabaugh (14 straight). 2 days' rest. New Orleans comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 108, shooting 51 percent and 40 from three, 26 free throws a game; Williamson at 27 and Ingram at 27 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has won the glass by 7 a night. Without McCollum (10 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: New Orleans wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, New Orleans allowing 108 a night to Utah's 124 and the arc, New Orleans at 40 percent from three to Utah's 32. Call it New Orleans 118, Utah 115, Utah keeping it close.
11/08 @ CHI 116-115 — PHX notes
PHX won 116-115 in 1 overtime. PHX shot 42% (38 of 90) to CHI's 44%, 19 of 48 from three. PHX turned it over 21 times to CHI's 14, and CHI turned those into 12 steals. The glass went 54-39 for them. Allen led with 26 (9 of 16, 8 of 13 from three); Durant added 25, Nurkić 20. The hinge was Q1, 36-28: from level to 8 ahead, and the lead reached 18.
11/10 vs LAL 119-122 — PHX notes
PHX lost 119-122. PHX took 10 more shots (94 to 84), fed by 17 offensive rebounds, but shot 45% to LAL's 50%, 15 of 37 from three, and got to the line 27 times to LAL's 34. Durant led with 38 (13 of 27, 4 of 6 from three, 8 of 10 at the line); Beal added 24, Nurkić 14. Q1 was theirs, 34-25, but the other 3 periods went 97-85 against them. They led by as many as 14. Beal's -14 in 32 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/12 vs OKC 99-111 — PHX notes
PHX lost 99-111. PHX shot 39% (32 of 83) to OKC's 49%, 9 of 29 from three, and went to the line 31 times to OKC's 25 — 26 points from the stripe to their 21. PHX turned it over 17 times to OKC's 7, and OKC turned those into 9 steals. The glass went 51-33 for them. Durant led with 28 (7 of 18, 3 of 5 from three, 11 of 11 at the line); Beal added 15, Eubanks 15. Q2 was theirs, 30-25, but the other 3 periods went 86-69 against them. Allen's -19 in 32 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/15 vs MIN 133-115 — PHX notes
PHX won 133-115. PHX shot 60% (51 of 85) to MIN's 46%, 17 of 31 from three, and got to the line 15 times to MIN's 28. Durant led with 31 (11 of 15, 7 of 7 at the line); Booker added 31, Gordon 15. The hinge was Q2, 41-25: a lead of 6 became 22, and the lead reached 28. Durant was the night's best plus/minus at +27.
11/17 @ UTA 131-128 — PHX notes
PHX won 131-128. PHX shot 52% (45 of 86) to UTA's 51%, 18 of 33 from three. Durant led with 38 (15 of 22, 6 of 8 from three); Booker added 24, Nurkić 15. The hinge was Q1, 41-38: from level to 3 ahead. Goodwin was the night's best plus/minus at +13.
11/19 @ UTA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Utah comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 123, shooting 49 percent and 40 from three, 22 free throws a game; Clarkson at 27 and Markkanen at 24 a game. It has won the glass by 6 a night. Without Kessler (4 straight), Hendricks (11 straight), Sensabaugh (11 straight). One day's rest. Phoenix comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 118, shooting 47 percent and 44 from three, 25 free throws a game; Durant at 32 and Beal at 17 a game. It has won the glass by 6 a night. Without Beal (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Utah wins, and the game turns on the arc, Phoenix at 44 percent from three to Utah's 40. Call it Utah 119, Phoenix 118, Phoenix keeping it close.
11/21 vs POR — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Phoenix comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 124 a night and allowing 123, shooting 49 percent and 44 from three, 25 free throws a game; Durant at 35 and Booker at 27 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Without Beal (3 straight). One day's rest. Portland comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 98 a night and allowing 116, shooting 42 percent and 31 from three, 17 free throws a game; Grant at 21 and Sharpe at 14 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. Without Simons (12 straight), Brogdon (5 straight), Henderson (8 straight). One day's rest.
So: Phoenix wins, and the game turns on the arc, Phoenix at 44 percent from three to Portland's 31 and the glass, where Phoenix has been plus-0 a night and Portland minus-7. Call it Phoenix 119, Portland 108, Phoenix by 11.
11/22 vs GSW — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Phoenix comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 125 a night and allowing 120, shooting 51 percent and 45 from three, 25 free throws a game; Durant at 33 and Booker at 27 a game. That is 4 straight wins. Without Beal (4 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Golden State comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 119, shooting 43 percent and 37 from three, 23 free throws a game; Curry at 32 and Wiggins at 14 a game. Without Green (3 straight), Payton II (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Phoenix wins, and the game turns on the arc, Phoenix at 45 percent from three to Golden State's 37. Call it Phoenix 119, Golden State 115, Golden State keeping it close.
11/24 @ MEM — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Memphis comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 105 a night and allowing 111, shooting 39 percent and 33 from three, 23 free throws a game; Bane at 24 and Jackson Jr. at 17 a game. It has lost the glass by 4 a night. Without Morant (14 straight), Smart (3 straight), Kennard (3 straight). One day's rest. Phoenix comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 129 a night and allowing 120, shooting 52 percent and 46 from three, 29 free throws a game; Durant at 34 and Booker at 27 a game. That is 5 straight wins. Without Beal (5 straight). One day's rest.
So: Phoenix wins, on the road, and the game turns on the arc, Phoenix at 46 percent from three to Memphis's 33 and the defense, Memphis allowing 111 a night to Phoenix's 120. Call it Phoenix 117, Memphis 113, Memphis keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
PHXDB D. Booker
DE D. Eubanks
EG E. Gordon
GA G. Allen
JG J. Goodwin
JN J. Nurkić
JO J. Okogie
KB K. Bates-Diop
KD K. Durant
NL N. Little
NU Nurkic
YW Y. Watanabe
UTACS C. Sexton
JC J. Clarkson
JC J. Collins
KG K. George
KO K. Olynyk
LM L. Markkanen
OA O. Agbaji
SF S. Fontecchio
TH T. Horton-Tucker
PHX/UTA the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Durant scores 38 and Booker has a career-best 15 assists to boost the Suns past the Jazz
SALT LAKE CITY -- — The Phoenix Suns have opted to go without a traditional point guard.
Kevin Durant believes they don’t need one, not when he and Devin Booker are scoring and dealing like they did Friday in Utah.
Durant scored 38 points and Booker had 24 points and a career-high 15 assists to boost the Suns to a 131-128 win over the Jazz in an In-Season Tournament game.
“We’re natural point guards too. We’re natural basketball players. We can play every position. … We just set people up and be set up as well,” Durant said.
Durant’s 3-pointer lifted the Suns to a 124-115 lead before the Jazz rallied to get within one point in the final minute. Durant struck again with his sixth 3 with 18 seconds left.
“My 3 was feeling good all night,” Durant said. “I had missed one to start the fourth quarter that looked good coming off my hand. So I just kept it in the back of my mind: I wanted to get to that shot again.”
Durant also collected nine rebounds and nine assists. He has scored at least 25 points in 11 straight games for the longest active streak in the NBA.
“He hit a bomb and won the game. It was a big-time shot by a big-time player but he was really terrific the whole night,” Phoenix coach Frank Vogel said.
Booker is “one of the best shooting guards in the league and now he’s a point guard — he’s playing like it — while also scoring the ball as well and leading us with 15 assists and one turnover,” Vogel said.
Even though the game was tight down the stretch, Durant sidled up to Booker and asked him if he hit his career high in assists. Booker smiled and nodded.
“It was just so effortless. He wasn’t hunting assists. He was just playing in the flow of the game. He played like a perfect point guard tonight,” Durant said.
Jordan Clarkson scored a season-high 37 points for Utah. He has four straight games with 26 or more points, the longest such streak of his career.
Lauri Markkanen scored 21 points for Jazz, and John Collins had 15 points and 14 rebounds.
“It hurts to lose the game especially when you give yourself an opportunity to win,” Markkanen said.
The Suns (6-6) improved to 1-1 in West Group A while the Jazz (4-8) dropped to 2-1.
Jusuf Nurkic scored 15 points and Eric Gordon had 14 for the Suns, who have won back-to-back games for just the second time this season.
Booker powered a 16-4 run bridging the third and fourth quarter that gave the Suns a 107-99 lead with 10:15 to play, an advantage they held through the finish.
“Just punishing defenses and making them pay for over-helping or just any type of defense they throw at us, I feel like we have an answer,” Booker said.
After a 2-7 start and the loss of defensive anchor Walker Kessler to an elbow injury, the Jazz changed their defensive strategy to a switching, sometimes trapping scheme.
The problem was they often left Durant open for 3-pointers. He went 6 for 8 from deep.
“Kevin’s really good against every coverage,” Utah coach Will Hardy said. “The last play of the game, we’re obviously not trying to play one-on-one defense versus Kevin. The plan was to try to crowd him, climb up underneath him, make him dribble the ball.”
But Durant got a switch, crossed over with a dribble and hit the 3 for the dagger.
Booker, who has missed eight games with ankle and calf injuries, and Durant scored or assisted on every Suns basket in a 41-point first quarter, their top scoring quarter his season. They combined for 19 points and 11 assists.
Utah rookie Keyonte George , who had 15 points, scored eight in a 12-2 run that gave the Jazz its first lead of the game late in the second quarter.
UP NEXT
The Suns and Jazz play each other again on Sunday.