Payne, Booker lead Suns past Knicks in dominant 2nd half
PHOENIX — Cameron Payne scored 21 points, Devin Booker added 20 and the Phoenix Suns used a dominating second half to beat the New York Knicks 116-95 on Sunday.
Deandre Ayton had 13 points and 11 rebounds and all of the Suns’ starters scored in double figures. Torrey Craig scored 14 points and Mikal Bridges 13. Reserve Damion Lee scored 15 and shot 4 of 6 from 3-point range.
The Suns, playing without Chris Paul (right heel injury) for the sixth straight game, got 3-pointers from eight different players.
Jalen Brunson scored 27 points on 11-of-21 shooting to lead the Knicks. RJ Barrett finished with 12 points and Quentin Grimes scored 10.
Phoenix outrebounded New York 59-39 overall.
The Knicks shot 46% in the first half and just 34% in the second half. The Suns had 17 3-pointers; the Knicks had seven.
New York, playing the fourth of a five-game West swing, stayed in the game in the first half behind Brunson, who scored 11 of his points in the second quarter. The Knicks erased an 11-point Phoenix lead late in that period but Bridges’ runner rolled around and in to give the Suns a 55-53 lead at the break.
The Suns outscored the Knicks 35-22 in the third period. They extended their lead to 90-73 on 3s from Booker and Duane Washington Jr. and led by as many as 26 points in the fourth quarter.
Booker had 11 points in the third quarter, making all three of his 3-point tries.
Payne’s 10 points — all scored early in the first quarter — led the Suns in the first half. Craig scored nine points in the second quarter, including a pair of dunks and a 3-pointer. New York’s Brunson had 13 to lead all scorers.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Knicks: C Mitchell Robinson returned after missing eight games with a right knee sprain. He finished with two points and four rebounds in 17 minutes. F Cam Reddish (right groin) was injured Friday against Golden State and did not play.
Suns: Besides Paul, G Landry Shamet (concussion protocol) was also out. Shamet has missed five games.
TIP-INS
Knicks: Brunson’s streak of consecutive free throws ended at 46 with a miss in the fourth quarter. He was six short of the Knicks’ record.
Suns: Extended their winning streak over the Knicks to nine games. The last New York win came on Jan. 26, 2018, in Phoenix.
UP NEXT
Knicks: Finish trip in Oklahoma City on Monday night.
Suns: Host Lakers on Tuesday.