BBNBA: Devin Booker goes off; 5 former Wildcats score 20+

by:Zack Geoghegan•about 10 hours•

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It hasn’t been the best start to the 2024-25 season for the Phoenix Suns, but Devin Booker helped end a three-game losing skid on Friday night. The former Kentucky guard went off for a game-high 34 points as the Suns took down the Jazz 134-126 in Utah.

Aided by 30 points from teammate Kevin Durant (who returned from a three-game absence due to injury), Booker also pitched in eight assists in his 38 minutes. He was firing up plenty of shots, going 13-27 from the field with a 6-13 mark from beyond the arc. Despite 22 made three-pointers from Utah, the Suns countered with 22 triples of its own to pull out the win. Phoenix is now 13-11 on the season, good enough for eighth in the Western Conference standings.

With 30-plus points from both Booker and Durant, the duo passed Steve Nash and Amar’e Stoudemire for the third-most 30-point games by two Suns players in franchise history.

For the Jazz, guard Johnny Juzang made just one of his three-point attempts in 13 minutes of action. he also chipped in a rebound and an assist.

AD, Maxey go for 20-plus in losses

Without LeBron James by his side, Anthony Davis couldn’t do it all for the Los Angeles Lakers, which fell to Julius Randle and the Minnesota Timberwolves by a final score of 97-87. Davis still posted a 23-point, 11-rebound double-double (his 17th of the season) in the defeat, adding three blocks (with four turnovers) to his stat line as well in 36 minutes played. He shot 10-21 from the field and 1-5 from deep.

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Meanwhile, Randle recorded 21 points, five rebounds, and three assists in the win. He didn’t shoot the ball well, finishing 7-16 overall while missing all five of his looks from deep. However, the Wolves have now won five of its last six games and sit on a 13-11 record. The Lakers, which turned the ball over 21 times last night, have dropped eight of its last 11 games.

Rob Dillingham also saw some clock for Minnesota, making two threes en route to finishing with six points, one assist, and one steal in just seven minutes.

Over in Philadelphia, Tyrese Maxey‘s 22 points weren’t enough to take down the Indiana Pacers in a 121-107 loss for the 76ers. Philly missed Joel Embiid, who has played just six games this season, in the second half after he left with an injury. Maxey also added three rebounds and two assists but with six turnovers on the night.

Other BBNBA notes

Our fifth and final 20-point scorer from Friday night was Jamal Murray, who posted an even 20 points, five rebounds, four steals, and three assists in 31 minutes. It was more than enough to lead the Denver Nuggets past the Los Angeles Clippers, 120-98. Denver didn’t even need a big game from MVP favorite Nikola Jokic. The Nuggets won the second half by 25 points after trailing at the intermission.
Shaedon Sharpe and the Portland Trail Blazers came up short, 118-116, against the Keldon Johnson-less San Antonio Spurs. Sharpe finished with 11 points (5-10 FG), four rebounds, and two assists. Johnson was sidelined with a calf injury.

12/13/24 statistics

Player	Score	PTS	FG (3PT)	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	+/-	MIN
Devin Booker (PHX)	134-126 W @ UTA	34	13-27 (6-13)	2	8	1	0	0	10	38
Anthony Davis (LAL)	97-87 L @ MIN	23	10-21 (1-5)	11	1	0	3	4	-22	36
Tyrese Maxey (PHI)	121-107 L vs. IND	22	7-15 (3-5)	3	2	1	1	6	-21	36
Julius Randle (MIN)	97-87 W vs. LAL	21	7-16 (0-5)	5	3	1	0	2	23	32
Jamal Murray (DEN)	120-98 W vs. LAC	20	8-16 (2-5)	5	3	4	1	6	18	31
Shaedon Sharpe (POR)	118-116 L vs. SAS	11	5-10 (1-4)	4	2	0	1	2	6	32
Rob Dillingham (MIN)	97-87 W vs. LAL	6	2-5 (2-3)	0	1	1	0	0	-10	7
Johnny Juzang (UTA)	134-126 L vs. PHX	3	1-3 (1-3)	1	1	0	0	0	0	13
Nick Richards (CHA)	109-95 L @ CHI	2	0-4	5	0	1	0	0	-11	15
Jarred Vanderbilt (LAL)	97-87 L @ MIN	DNP-Foot	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Keldon Johnson (SAS)	118-116 W @ POR	DNP-Calf	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Isaiah Jackson (IND)	121-107 W @ PHI	DNP-Achilles	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—