When Chris Paul traded with Devin Booker in Phoenix last season, it was not always easy to decide who would be the one to take responsibility for close games.
Tonight (Wednesday through Thursday) it was a morning that delivered the goods in the first three quarters, and Paul closed out interest in the final quarter.
Morning shelled out 43 points and equaled a personal career record with 12 rebounds, Paul scored 21 points - 15 of them in the final quarter - en route to Phoenix's eighth straight win, 97: 105 over Utah, two days after the previous meeting between the teams that ended similarly.
Mood: You just broke a FRANCHISE record pic.twitter.com/K5zSS1bwEe
- Phoenix Suns (@Suns) January 27, 2022
"It feels good now, but it did not come without a learning curve," Boker said.
"We had a lot of trial and error, but now we've been in enough situations, and we already know what to expect."
Paul added: "You only build trust between players through close games like this."
Playing without Donovan Mitchell (concussion) and Rudy Gober (stretch), Utah got its points from Jordan Clarkson, who scored 16 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter.
Hassan Whiteside had 16 points and 11 rebounds, and Mike Conley also scored 16 points and added 10 assists for the Jazz, who have lost their ninth game in the last 11.
"We're playing without Rudy and Donovan right now. But that does not mean we can not run forward. It's a matter of consistently showing commitment in things that help you grow," said Utah coach Kevin Snyder, who was unhappy with his players' instability.
"We're just trying to find our way. Regardless of the losses, I think we're going in the right direction in terms of staying connected," Conley said, despite Utah's worst season.
The @Suns stay hot and so does @DevinBook 🔥
D-Book drops 43 PTS to extend the win-streak to 8 in a row!
pic.twitter.com/MF041N0XPB
- NBA (@NBA) January 27, 2022
Phoenix also lacked two quintet players - the injured Jay Crowder and Diandra Eyton - but Bismak Yumbo opened for the first time this season in a quintet and answered with 12 points.
He said he had a good gut feeling when he decided in January to sign for Phoenix even though many teams tried to bring him back to the NBA, but the fact that he would play with stars like Paul and Boker made his selection easy.
"Chris Paul can read the game and when Bock looks so good, he usually goes to drills where he can get him to the catch-and-shoot," Phoenix coach Monty Williams said.
"When he's in a grove like that, I think our team feeds on that."
Chris Paul just dropped 15 points in the 4th quarter for the second straight game.
He's 36. Incredible.
pic.twitter.com/J9X5JejJIu
- Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) January 27, 2022
"I do not take these moments for granted," Boker said.
"Coming to a tough and stormy pitch like Utah's, and we only have nine players and still get a win - that's why you see a smile on our faces."
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