National Basketball Association
Utah 91, Phoenix 86
When: 8:00 PM ET, Saturday, December 31, 2016
Where: Vivint Smart Home Arena, Salt Lake City, Utah
Officials: #18 Matt Boland, #43 Dan Crawford, #68 Jacyn Goble
Attendance: 19911

SALT LAKE CITY -- With yet another injury putting their starting point guard on the bench, Utah relied on tough defense to finish the job.

The Jazz shut down the Phoenix Suns when it counted in the fourth quarter of a 91-86 victory on Saturday night.

Utah allowed just two baskets in the final 6:45 and limited Phoenix to 7-of-22 shooting from the field in the quarter.

The Suns missed 11 shots in the final six minutes and committed two critical turnovers that prevented them from getting their first win over the Jazz since the 2014-15 season.

"We just got stops," Jazz forward Gordon Hayward said. "We started to lock up on the defensive end. We struggled offensively, but because we were able to guard in the fourth there, we had more opportunities and were able to convert some of them."

Rudy Gobert had 18 points and 13 rebounds for his 23rd double-double of the season to lead the Jazz. Gobert has collected at least 10 rebounds in 19 straight games -- the longest streak in the NBA this season.

Hayward added 18 points and nine rebounds and Rodney Hood chipped in 13 points for the Jazz. Utah (21-13) posted its sixth straight victory over Phoenix after sweeping the Suns last season.

Devin Booker scored 20 points and Eric Bledsoe added 19 points, eight rebounds and eight assists to lead the Suns. Phoenix (10-24) made just 7 of 22 shots from the floor in the fourth quarter, which opened the door for Utah to pull away.

"It's going to come," Bledsoe said. "We just have to be patient. The good thing about it is, we're not far away from the playoffs. Everybody is like right there, so you know whoever gets hot is gonna be successful -- so you just got to stay with it."

Jazz point guard George Hill did not return after being elbowed by Suns center Alex Len. Hill went to the locker room with 0.6 of a second left in the first quarter. He received stitches for a lower lip laceration and underwent concussion testing.

Hill exhibited concussion-like symptoms in the locker room. There is no timetable for his return while he goes through league mandated concussion protocols.

The game featured 20 lead changes -- including six in the fourth quarter alone -- before Utah went ahead for good when Hayward tipped in a missed shot and Gobert added two dunks to give the Jazz an 89-84 lead with 1:46 remaining.

The Suns had a chance to tie it in the final seconds, but Devin Booker missed a 3-pointer with 5.9 seconds left. Hayward grabbed the rebound and hit two free throws to seal the win.

"It was a battle tonight," Booker said. "I have never been to the playoffs, but if there was anything like a playoff atmosphere, I feel like it was tonight. Low scoring game. Not too many people getting crazy numbers. Just hard, grind-out basketball."

Utah's Derrick Favors played with renewed confidence on offense in the first half. He drained a jumper and scored on a reverse layup on his first two shots after making just seven field goals in his previous four games.

Then Favors followed up by twice feeding Gobert in the paint to set up baskets. It helped Utah carve out an early 11-6 lead.

Phoenix countered with Booker scorching the nets. The second-year guard hit 8 of 10 shots from the field and scored 18 points during the first quarter to help the Suns keep pace with the Jazz. His last basket tied it at 29 heading into the second quarter.

Booker only hit 1 of 9 shots from the field in the final three quarters.

"We just tried to continue to not make it easy for him," Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. "He can make tough shots. He plays like a veteran player with young legs and with exuberance. It is an interesting combination because he is really smart in how he plays, particularly without the ball."

Favors went to work again at the beginning of the second quarter. He scored baskets on back-to-back possessions to give Utah the lead again. The Jazz led by as many as seven points, going up 43-36 on a 10-2 run sparked by back-to-back jumpers from Trey Lyles and Rodney Hood.

Phoenix stormed back and took a 48-47 lead after P.J. Tucker and Dragan Bender each scored two 3-pointers during a two-minute stretch. The Suns could not hang onto their slim edge for long.

Utah charged out to a 63-54 lead early in the third quarter behind back-to-back baskets from Gobert and Shelvin Mack. Phoenix cut the deficit to one after Booker capped an 8-0 run with his first basket since the first quarter. But Hood quickly buried two 3-pointers to stop the spurt.

The Jazz built a 76-68 lead with 1:41 left in the quarter when Raul Neto drove for a layup and then stole the ball from Tyler Ulis to set up a second layup less than a minute later.

NOTES: Jazz C Rudy Gobert averages more than two points per field goal attempt. He has 425 points on 211 shots from the field (148 made) and is 129 of 198 from the free throw line. If Gobert maintains this mark through the remainder of the season, it will set an NBA record. ... Suns G Eric Bledsoe is one of only five NBA players to average at least 20.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game this season. The last Phoenix player to do so for an entire season was Charles Barkley in 1992-93. ... Jazz F Gordon Hayward scored 20 or more points in 20 of his first 27 games. It is the first time in his career he had back-to-back months with 10 games of 20 or more points. ... Suns F Tyson Chandler joins Barkley and Moses Malone as the only players to average 10 or more rebounds in their 16th NBA season. Chandler averaged 11.3 rebounds through his first 26 games this season.
Top Game Performances
 
Phoenix   Utah
Devin Booker 20 Scoring Rudy Gobert 18
Eric Bledsoe 8 Assists Gordon Hayward 4
Tyson Chandler 11 Rebounds Rudy Gobert 13
Eric Bledsoe 3 Free Throws Made Rudy Gobert 4
Devin Booker 3 Steals Gordon Hayward 2
Dragan Bender 1 Blocks Rudy Gobert 3
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Phoenix 86 41.4 7-17 7-10 9 41 2 6 11
Utah 91 47.9 8-20 13-20 17 46 4 3 15
Upcoming Games
  • Utah will play their next game on the road against Brooklyn. The Jazz have a W/L % of .650 after a win and .571 after a loss.
  • Phoenix will play their next game on the road against LA Clippers. The Suns have a W/L % of .091 after a win and .391 after a loss.