Gobert helps Jazz topple Suns
SALT LAKE CITY -- Rudy Gobert recorded 18 points and 13 rebounds for his 23rd double-double of the season and helped the Utah Jazz escape with a 91-86 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Saturday night.
Gordon Hayward added 18 points and nine rebounds and Rodney Hood chipped in 13 points for the Jazz. Utah (21-13) earned its sixth straight victory over Phoenix after sweeping the Suns last season.
Devin Booker scored 20 points and Eric Bledsoe added 19 points, eight rebounds and eight assists to lead the Suns. Phoenix (10-24) shot 7 for 22 from the floor in the fourth quarter and scored only one basket over the final 6:45.
Jazz point guard George Hill did not return after being elbowed by Suns center Alex Len. Hill went to the locker room with 0.6 seconds left in the first quarter. He received stitches for a lower lip laceration and underwent concussion testing.
Utah's Derrick Favors played with renewed confidence on offense in the first half. He drained a jumper and scored on a reverse layup on his first two shots after scoring just seven field goals over his previous four games. Then Favors followed up by twice feeding Gobert in the paint to set up baskets for the center. It helped Utah carve out an early 11-6 lead over the Suns.
Phoenix countered with Booker scorching the nets. The second-year guard hit 8 of 10 shots and scored 18 points during the first quarter to help the Suns keep pace with the Jazz. His last basket tied it up at 29 heading into the second quarter.
Favors went to work again at the beginning of the second quarter. He scored baskets on back-to-back possessions to give Utah the lead again. The Jazz led by as many as seven points, going up 43-36 on a 10-2 run sparked by back-to-back jumpers from Trey Lyles and Rodney Hood.
Phoenix stormed back and took a 48-47 lead after P.J. Tucker and Dragan Bender each scored a pair of 3-pointers over a two-minute stretch. The Suns could not hang onto their slim edge for long.
Utah charged out to a 63-54 lead early in the third quarter behind back-to-back baskets from Gobert and Shelvin Mack. Phoenix cut the deficit to one after Booker capped an 8-0 run with his first basket since the first quarter. But Hood quickly buried a pair of 3-pointers to stop the spurt.
The Jazz built a 76-68 lead with 1:41 left in the quarter when Raul Neto drove for a layup and then stole the ball from Tyler Ulis to set up a second layup less than a minute later.
Phoenix rallied again in the fourth quarter and the lead changed six times before Utah went ahead for good when Hayward tipped in a missed shot and Gobert added a pair of dunks to give the Jazz an 89-84 lead with 1:46 remaining.
The Suns had a chance to tie it in the final seconds, but Booker missed a 3-pointer with five seconds left. Hayward grabbed the rebound and hit a pair of free throws to seal the win.
NOTES: Jazz C Rudy Gobert averages more than two points per field goal attempt. He has 425 points on 211 field-goal attempts (148 made) and is 129 for 198 from the free-throw line. If Gobert maintains this mark through the remainder of the season, it will set an NBA record. ... Suns G Eric Bledsoe is one of only five NBA players to average at least 20.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game this season. The last Phoenix player to do so for an entire season was Charles Barkley in 1992-93. ... Jazz F Gordon Hayward scored 20 or more points in 20 of his first 26 games. It is the first time in his career he recorded back-to-back months with 10 games of 20 or more points. ... Suns F Tyson Chandler joins Barkley and Moses Malone as the only players to average 10 or more rebounds in their 16th NBA season. Chandler averaged 11.3 rebounds through his first 25 games this season.