Jazz at Suns
Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker took the prolific scoring down a notch on Monday but finally managed to guide his team into the win column with a 122-113 triumph over Cleveland that snapped a six-game slide. Booker and the Suns will get a stiffer test on Wednesday, when the playoff-bound Utah Jazz visit.
Booker scored at least 48 points in three consecutive games, starting with 59 in a 125-92 loss at Utah on March 25, but found more team success with 25 points and 13 assists in Monday's victory. "We had fun tonight," Booker told reporters. "We played together. Everybody was involved. We had some big runs. We fell apart at times, but we stuck together and came together when we needed each other the most." The Jazz are trying to lock up the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference and still have an outside shot at No. 4 as they bring a five-game winning streak into Wednesday's matchup. "We're getting connected, and that's great - even with guys out," Utah point guard Ricky Rubio told reporters after a 111-102 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Monday. "Everybody's stepping in and doing their job and raising the level even more."
TV: 10 p.m. ET, AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain (Utah), FS Arizona (Phoenix)
ABOUT THE JAZZ (47-30): Utah won 10 of its last 11 games and held the Hornets to 40 percent from the floor on Monday, including 7-of-30 from 3-point range. "Everybody that steps on the floor knows who they are and what they can contribute to the team, so it was a good effort by our group," Jazz coach Quin Snyder told reporters. "Particularly, defensively we were really good for the majority of the game, and then we had some foul trouble and (Hornets All-Star guard) Kemba (Walker) got going. But I thought the whole group was ready to play and played together." Utah will play its next three against non-playoff teams before hosting Denver and visiting the Los Angeles Clippers to finish out the regular season.
ABOUT THE SUNS (18-60): Phoenix is close to clinching one of the three worst records in the NBA and the best odds at the No. 1 pick in the draft, but coach Igor Kokoskov is pushing his team to keep playing hard. "It's very important," Kokoskov told reporters. "That's what we owe to the fans who come here. We don't have an impressive record by any means. We have a talented team who's going to be the future, but fans have not quit on this team. We don't quit on the fans starting with the bench and the players on the court." Former top-four pick Dragan Bender is trying to prove he should get a spot on the Suns' team of the future and delivered 12 points and 10 rebounds on Monday for his first double-double since Jan. 22.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Suns rookie C Deandre Ayton (ankle) sat out Monday and is day-to-day.
2. Jazz PF Derrick Favors (back) and SG Kyle Korver (knee) are both questionable for Wednesday.
3. Utah is enjoying a six-game winning streak in the series and breezed to a 114-97 triumph at Phoenix on March 13.