Booker scores 40, sets record
Guard tops 30 points for sixth game in a row
Jonas Valanciunas scored 30 points and Dillon Brooks added 19 as Memphis won for second time in Phoenix before 14,181 fans at Talking Stick Resort Arena Sunday night.
Devin Booker paced the Suns with 40 in setting a franchise record for most consecutive games with at least 30 points at six games in a row.. Kelly Oubre Jr added 17 points and 10 rebounds, as the Suns fell 121-114 to Memphis.
Memphis outscored Phoenix, 3420, in the third quarter in taking a 9677 lead.
This was the second of a back-toback for the Grizzlies (15-22), who beat the Los Angeles Clippers, 140-114 Saturday night at STAPLES Center.
The Suns (14-22) will face Sacramento in the fourth and final meeting of the season between the two teams Monday. Phoenix leads the season series, 2-1.
Final score
Memphis Grizzlies 121, Suns 114 (Talking Stick Resort Arena, 14,181)
Player of the game: Jonas Valanciunas
The Griz center shot 12-of-16 from the field, hit 3-of-4 from 3 and added four assists. He scored 20 in the first half and got the better of the big matchup with Aron Baynes.
Key moments
Fourth quarter: Suns cut a 19-point deficit down to seven, 109-102 before Dillon Brooks hit back-to-back 3s to give the Grizzlies a 13-point advantage with 2:57 left.
Phoenix answered with 10-0 run, but De’Anthony Melton, who played for the Suns as a rookie last season, drew a foul on Mikal Bridges and made both free throws to put Memphis up five, 117-112, with 36.3 seconds left.
Third quarter: Suns trailed 96-77 after trailing by as many as 21 points in the quarter. Jaren Jackson scored eights in the quarter as Memphis went on a 18-6 run in taking a 96-75 lead with 48.3 seconds left in the third.
Phoenix went 0-for-6 from the field and committed four turnovers during that run.
First half: Memphis led 62-57 at the break as Jonas Valanciunas scored 20 on 8-of-9 shooting in helping Memphis shoot 55.6% from the field. The Grizzlies made 7-of-14 from 3 in erasing an 11point deficit.
Phoenix trailed by as many as nine in the second quarter, but Booker closed out the half with back-to-back buckets to make the difference five. Booker scored a team-high 18 in the first half.
What we learned about the Suns tonight?
The Aron Baynes-Deandre Ayton starting tandem took a step back in terms of production and were outplayed by Memphis’ big duo of Jonas Valanciunas and Jaren Jackson Jr.
It’s obvious Jackson and Valanciunas have played together far more than Bayens and Ayton as this was just Ayton’s sixth game this season. Monty Williams’ rationale for starting those two were for defensive purposes for a second straight game.
The Suns were better to start than Friday’s game against New York, but Memphis wound up shooting effectively from the field for the game.
Then there’s the question of what happens when Baynes isn’t productive or Ayton is in foul trouble? The Suns’ rotation becomes a mixed bag that has Dario Saric playing in the second half after not seeing any action in the first.
Cheick Diallo doesn’t play at all. Without Frank Kaminsky (knee), the Suns don’t have that fourth natural big.
Williams likes Bridges at the four, but that was a tall order for him against Memphis, which has size starting and coming off the bench in Brandon Clarke and Solomon Hill.
The Suns also need Ayton to become more of a scorer, especially when Oubre doesn’t have it going offensively. He scored six in the fourth in finishing with 14, but Phoenix could use 20-plus from him, especially against a team like Memphis that can put up points.
Remember, they scored 140 Saturday night against the Clippers.
Next game
Sacramento Kings at Suns, 7 p.m,. Tuesday, Talking Stick Resort Arena