The Jazz fell to the Phoenix Suns Friday night as the Suns coach Jeff Hornacek wins his first game in Utah, where he played and coached. The Phoenix Suns had little trouble with the Utah Jazz beating them 112-101. The game started out largely in the Jazz favor as they jumped out to 11-0 lead. The lead diminished quickly as the suns knocked down open jumpers and threes shooting 64.7 percent in the first quarter and 61.9 percent in the second. Many of the shots were uncontested threes or short jumpers while on the other side of the ball the Jazz were happy to toss up a hook while double or triple teamed. Once the Suns built up a double-digit at 58-47 late in the second quarter the seemed to coast to their final 11 point win.
Marvin Williams was Utah’s top scorer with 18 points. Alec Burks scored 12 of his 16 points for the Jazz in the fourth quarter. Gordon Hayward continued his shooting slump. He was 4-for-10, and those numbers are actually an improvement from recent games. He was 13-for-53 in Utah’s previous four contests.
Goran Dragic, who always seems to play well against the Jazz, had 19 points, nine assists and two blocked shots. Many players shot the ball well for Phoenix. Of particular note, Channing Frye shot 5-for-7 with three 3-pointers and had 13 points in an efficient 22 minutes.
Jeff Hornacek who is beloved by Jazz fans received a nice ovation from the fans when he was introduced before the game. Hornacek’s number is retired by the Jazz for his contributions to the team and was an assistant with the Jazz last year. The Jazz take on the Suns again tonight this time in Phoenix to try and split the home and home weekend. The Jazz next play on Monday vs. Rockets and Wednesday vs. Pacers
