PHOENIX — Devin Booker scored 24 points, Chris Paul added 15 and the Phoenix Suns cruised to a 102-82 win over Portland Trail Blazers.
Jayson Tatum had 36 points and 12 rebounds, including some late free throws to help the Boston Celtics hold on for a 123-119 victory over the Chicago Bulls.
Malcolm Brogdon added 25 points on 9-of-10 shooting and Jaylen Brown scored 16 points for Boston, which has won two of three.
It was the eighth straight game this season that Tatum has scored 20 or more points. He also set new career highs for free throw attempts and makes, going 17 of 20.
“We have a team full of sore losers,” Suns coach Monty Williams said according to AP. “I knew the way that we lost; we’d get an intentional effort tonight on both ends. Defensively, I thought we were locked in.”
The teams were playing each other for the second straight night. The Blazers won 108-106 on Friday when Jerami Grant hit a baseline jumper at the buzzer.
By comparison, Saturday’s game was a snoozer. The Suns pushed to a 61-40 halftime lead and had a comfortable advantage throughout the second half.
“That’s what good teams do – make adjustments,” Booker said. “We had a chance to do that tonight.”
Phoenix has the best record in the Western Conference with a 7-2 mark. Both of the losses have come to the Blazers, who fell to 6-3. The teams have already completed their three-game series in the regular season.
Grant scored 14 points and rookie Shaedon Sharpe added 13. The Blazers were held to their season low in points.
“We didn´t pass the ball enough,” Blazers coach Chauncey Billups said. “Kind of played a little one-on-one too much in the first half. That is an elite defense.”
The Blazers were again playing without their high-scoring backcourt of All-Star Damian Lillard and Anfernee Simons because of injuries. The two have combined to average 53 points per game.
Booker scored 16 points while Paul had 13 before halftime. The Blazers shot just 34.8% from the field in the first half.
“I am not disappointed in our performance at all, we fought,” Billups said. “I am disappointed when the effort is not there. We fought hard. It was just a better team tonight.”
The Suns were playing their first season without starting forward Cam Johnson, who could miss extended time because of a right knee injury suffered on Friday night.
The fourth-year player had moved into a starting role this season after being a finalist for the NBA Sixth Man of the Year last year.
“It’s really tough, obviously mostly for him,” Booker said. “We’re here with him for whatever he needs. He’s going to be around the team. We say `family´ every time we break it down and that’s the situation we’re in.”
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