Booker, Suns cruise again

Devin Booker’s 17footer to beat the halftime buzzer brought the 3,000 fans to their feet. His 3pointer with two seconds remaining in the third quarter earned an even bigger roar from the socially distanced crowd.

Because of shots like those, no dramatics were needed in the fourth.

Booker scored 34 points, Deandre Ayton added 19 and the Suns kept rolling with a 132100 win over Portland in Phoenix on Monday night.

There has been some talk over the past few months about whether Booker should earn his second straight AllStar selection. He certainly looked worthy in a dominant performance against the Blazers.

Booker finished 12for17 from the field and hit both his 3point attempts. He was 8for8 at the freethrow line.

Mavericks 102, Grizzlies 92: Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 29 points to lead host Dallas to a win over Memphis. The Mavericks were playing for the first time in eight days after two postponements because of a wintry weather blast in Texas.

Jazz 132, Hornets 110: Utah enjoyed a record-breaking performance from long range in a home win over Charlotte. The Jazz set a franchise mark for 3-pointers with 28, including 19 off the bench.

Heat 108, Thunder 94: Duncan Robinson scored 22 points, leading Miami to a win at Oklahoma City. Bulls 120, Rockets 100: Chicago used a big third quarter to pull away from host Houston. Zach LaVine scored 14 of the Bulls’ 46 third-quarter points. Wizards 127, Lakers 124: Visiting Washington overcame a 14-point halftime deficit and beat Los Angeles in overtime for its fifth straight win. Russell Westbrook had 32 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists for the Wizards.

New coach: For the 10th time in the past 15 years, the Minnesota Timberwolves have a new head coach. Toronto assistant Chris Finch was introduced Monday as the replacement for Ryan Saunders, who was fired the night before with the team carrying the NBA’s worst record, 7-24.