Jazz at Suns
Markieff Morris is emerging as a valuable high-octane contributor for Phoenix and the third-year forward looks for another strong performance when the Suns host the Utah Jazz on Saturday in the second contest of a back-to-back set. Morris had 23 points on 8-of-13 shooting in Friday’s victory in Utah, marking his fourth outing of 23 or more points this season. Morris is averaging 13.1 points off the bench as the Suns have gotten off to a surprising 9-7 start.
The Jazz have the worst record in the NBA and have been putrid on the road – losing all nine encounters, seven by double digits. Utah allowed the Suns to shoot 63.2 percent from the field in the first half of Friday’s game and was well behind for most of the second half. The Suns have won four of their last five games and have averaged 108.5 points in the victories.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, ROOT (Utah), FSN Arizona (Phoenix)
ABOUT THE JAZZ (2-15): Utah will need a much better defensive effort to keep from losing both ends of the back-to-back with the Suns. Phoenix scored more than 30 points in each of the first three quarters on Friday and kept the Jazz off-balance most of the contest. “They made shots – I thought they got what they wanted,” Utah coach Tyrone Corbin said afterward. “They had us spread out, they got drives, they got the ball where they wanted to in the initial part of the offense. And when we collapsed (inside), they got open 3-point shots.”
ABOUT THE SUNS (9-7): Guard Eric Bledsoe was back in action on Friday after missing six games with a shin injury and tallied 19 points. The offseason acquisition from the Los Angeles Clippers was one of Phoenix’s top players prior to his two-week injury and he energized the squad with 7-of-11 shooting and three steals in his return while playing more minutes (28) than coach Jeff Hornacek intended. “For him being off almost two weeks, we weren’t sure what we would get,” Hornacek said afterward. “I told him I’d play him in small doses and when he got tired, I’d take him out. He looked pretty good out there.”
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Phoenix is 2-0 against Utah this season and has won 10 of the past 14 meetings.
2. Jazz G Gordon Hayward is just 17-of-63 shooting over the past five games.
3. Suns G Goran Dragic is averaging 21.8 points over the past four games and has 41 assists against just seven turnovers during the stretch.