Devin Booker's 40 points leads Suns past Grizzlies 110-89
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Devin Booker scored a season-high 40 points, Eric Gordon added 20 and the Phoenix Suns defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 110-89 in an NBA In-Season Tournament game on Sunday.
Jordan Goodwin and Grayson Allen finished with 14 points each for the Suns, who played without leading scorer Kevin Durant, a late scratch due to right foot soreness.
Santi Aldama led Memphis with 21 points, while Derrick Rose added 17. David Roddy contributed 14 points as the Grizzlies lost their third game in a row and remained winless at home this season.
The win gave Phoenix a 3-1 record in the tournament, but left them a game behind the Lakers, who won West Group A with a 4-0 record. The Suns must now wait on how other teams in the West fare to see who qualifies for the tournament wild-card spot.
Phoenix, which has won six straight, led by as many as 18 on Sunday. Memphis whittled into the advantage, cutting it to single digits in the second half, but the Suns always seemed to have an answer. Goodwin scored eight straight Suns points in the fourth quarter to keep the Grizzlies at bay.
Memphis continued to struggle through absences due to injury.
Memphis, which is 0-7 at home this season, still has to wait 10 more games for the return of last year's leading-scorer Ja Morant, who is serving a 25-game suspension.
The injury list, which includes six rotation players, is dire enough that the NBA granted the Grizzlies a pair of 10-day hardship contracts to sign guards Shaq Buchanan and Jaylen Nowell. Those signings were announced earlier Friday. Nowell played sparingly Sunday and did not score.
Besides Durant, key Suns rotation players Bradley Beal and Drew Eubanks also missed the game.
But the Suns had Booker, who finished the game 15 of 21 from the field, including 3 of 4 from outside the arc.
UP NEXT
Suns: Travel to New York to face the Knicks on Sunday.
Grizzlies: Entertain the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday.
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