https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/nba-logos/uta.png

Jazz

Jayson Tatum scored 11 of his 26 points during Boston&rsquo;s nearly perfect first quarter to help the Celtics roll to a 125-97 victory over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night.
Jaylen Brown also added 26 points and Marcus Smart finished with a career-high 13 assists as Boston recorded its fifth straight victory to improve its chances for one of the Eastern Conference&rsquo;s top four seeds.
Donovan Mitchell scored 37 points but Utah has lost consecutive games for the first time since the end of January, a span of 21 games.
Boston hit its first 10 shots of the game, including six 3-pointers, on the way to jumping out to a 28-12 lead. Its first miss didn&rsquo;t come until the 4:05 mark of the opening quarter when a layup by Brown rolled off the rim.
It was one of the few miscues for the Celtics, who ended the period with a 39-24 lead. They went 15 of 19 from the field, 7 of 9 from beyond the arc and held a 12-2 rebounding edge.
The lead grew as high as 30 in the second quarter and Boston took a 68-45 advantage into halftime. Smart ended the half with 10 assists in just 15 minutes of action.
The Jazz tried their best to keep pace, but simply couldn&rsquo;t get enough shots to fall. They particularly struggled from the outside, going 8 of 36 from the 3-point line. Utah also had only 13 assists on 35 made baskets.
Utah never got closer than 18 in the second half.
TIP-INS
Jazz: Had only seven assists on 17 field goals in the first half. &hellip; Udoka Azubuike (right ankle sprain), Bojan Bogdanovic (left calf sprain), Danuel House (left knee bruise) all sat out.
Celtics: It was the 18th consecutive game Tatum has scored at least 20 points. &hellip; Had 13 assists in the first quarter. &hellip;
UP NEXT
Jazz: Continue six-game road trip at Charlotte on Friday.
Celtics: Host Minnesota on Sunday.

Jayson Tatum scored 11 of his 26 points during Boston’s nearly perfect first quarter to help the Celtics roll to a 125-97 victory.

Tatum, Brown sizzle, Celtics roll to 125-97 win over Jazz

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) &mdash; Donovan Mitchell tries to keep his cool with the officials.
In a tie game against Chicago, Mitchell protested a non-call with an especially vocal and demonstrative outburst in the third quarter. He got a technical foul and the switch was flipped.
&ldquo;I was hot," Mitchell said about his anger.
Mitchell went on to score a Utah-record 25 of his 37 points in the third quarter, Jordan Clarkson added 26 and the Utah Jazz beat the Bulls 125-110 on Wednesday night.
Feeling nostalgic before the game, Mitchell was watching Game 6 of his first playoff series against Oklahoma City his rookie season. He remembered that level of confidence and how big the hoop seemed when he led the Jazz to the win. Then he replicated it against Chicago.
&ldquo;Once I saw the 3 on the wide pin go down, it was on,&rdquo; Mitchell said. &ldquo;From there, I just started getting to my spots and do what I do. Sometimes you just gotta go to that place inside you.&rdquo;
Mitchell made a franchise-record seven 3-pointers in the third period on nine attempts. He broke Karl Malone&rsquo;s team mark of 22 points in a third quarter. Mitchell finished with nine 3-pointers, besting his previous career best of seven.
&ldquo;He just got really hot. That&rsquo;s the type of player he is. We know that. We could have tried to do a better job of trying to take him out of that (rhythm) and get the ball out of his hands,&rdquo; Zach LaVine said.
In the fourth quarter, Bulls coach Billy Donovan said &ldquo;we did trap him some to try to slow him down&rdquo; but that just opened the door for other players like the seldom-used Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who scored 14 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter.
Alexander-Walker, who came to Utah in a Feb. 9 trade from New Orleans, had only nine total points in his first seven games with the Jazz. So what happened?
&ldquo;Don happened! The gravity he pulled to himself because of the shots he was making &hellip; they were so hyper-focused on him,&rdquo; Alexander-Walker said.
LaVine, who has been affected by a sore left knee, made five 3s and had 33 points in tying his highest scoring output in four months. DeMar DeRozan added 25 points. The Bulls have dropped seven of nine.
&ldquo;We had a really hard time controlling the ball. Our guards could not get the ball under control at all from Clarkson and Mitchell and Conley. They kind of really had their way with (us) and they&rsquo;re great off the dribble,&rdquo; Donovan said on the Bulls&rsquo; second-half defensive struggles.
Ayo Dosunmu&rsquo;s layup trimmed Utah&rsquo;s lead to 103-99 before the Jazz responded with a clinching run.
Alexander-Walker had two 3-pointers from the corner in a 14-0 run that featured suffocating defense and floor-spacing offense. Rudy Gobert&rsquo;s free throws capped the run and lifted the Jazz to a 117-99 lead with 4:38 to play.
&ldquo;We raised our level and did a great job defensively, especially with the scorers they have,&rdquo; Gobert said.
Mitchell&rsquo;s huge third quarter pushed the Jazz ahead 89-81 entering the fourth quarter.
Gobert had 14 points, 20 rebounds and three blocks while Mike Conley had in 14 points and seven assists.
The Jazz played without second-leading scorer Bojan Bogdanovic (left calf strain), along with key reserves Trent Forrest (right wrist sprain), Danuel House (left knee bone bruise) and Udoka Azubuike (right ankle sprain).
BREAKFAST CLUB
Alexander-Walker, Juancho Hernangomez (who got his first start with Utah) and other Jazz players who rarely get meaningful time in the games are the first ones to practice on game days.
&ldquo;I was really happy for Nickeil because people don&rsquo;t see that every morning before shootaround those guys are in there at 8 o&rsquo;clock working out and going hard too,&rdquo; Mitchell said.
Sometimes they get on the court again after the starters leave and then come early before the game starts. That makes three sessions whether they get game time or not.
&ldquo;Since being here, I can&rsquo;t even count the number of corner 3s and other stuff we have been working on in practice,&rdquo; Alexander-Walker said. &ldquo;That work with the Breakfast Club is paying off. Gotta trust it.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Bulls: Chicago had 22 fast-break points to seven for the Jazz. &hellip; DeRozan had seven of the Bulls&rsquo; 28 assists. &hellip; Dosunmu had 15 points and six assists.
Jazz: Mitchell picked up a technical in the third quarter. He was especially animated at a non-call and followed the official while shouting. &hellip; The Jazz reserves outscored their Chicago counterparts, 49-22.
UP NEXT
Bulls: At Phoenix on Friday night.
Jazz: Host the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night.

Donovan Mitchell scored a Utah-record 25 of his 37 points in the third quarter as the Utah Jazz beat the Bulls 125-110.

Mitchell scores 25 of 37 points in 3rd, Jazz beat Bulls

Quin Snyder on center position tonight: "Well, it's a position."
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/andyblarsen/status/1481421209434656768?s=20">Andy Larsen/Salt Lake Tribune</a>
ANALYSIS:&nbsp;
The Jazz are without centers Rudy Gobert, Hassan Whiteside, and Udoka Azubuike tonight.
They are currently projected to start the 6'6" forward Eric Paschall at center tonight.&nbsp;

Quin Snyder on center position tonight: "Well, it's a position."

Quin Snyder on center for Jazz tonight: 'Well, it's a position'

The NBA released some key numbers to remember ahead of Thursday's NBA Draft:
The 2021 NBA Draft will take place on Thursday, July 29 at 8 p.m. ET at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.&nbsp;&nbsp;ABC&nbsp;will televise the&nbsp;first round of the NBA Draft&nbsp;for the first time, and ESPN will air both rounds.&nbsp;
Twenty draft prospects are scheduled to attend and have their once-in-a-lifetime experience on the biggest stage.&nbsp;&nbsp;NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer Mark Tatum will announce the selections for the first and second rounds, respectively.&nbsp;
Here is a by-the-numbers look at this year&rsquo;s NBA Draft:&nbsp;
History &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;4 &ndash;&nbsp;Since the NBA Draft Lottery began in 1985,&nbsp;four&nbsp;first overall picks have won an NBA championship with the team that drafted them: David Robinson (San Antonio Spurs; first pick in 1987), Tim Duncan (Spurs; first pick in 1997), LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers; first pick in 2003) and Kyrie Irving (Cavaliers; first pick in 2011).&nbsp;James won an NBA championship in his second stint with Cleveland. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;6 &ndash;&nbsp;Since the two-round format was adopted in 1989, Kentucky holds the record for the university with the most picks in an NBA Draft &ndash;&nbsp;six&nbsp;each in 2012 and 2015. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;8&nbsp;&ndash;&nbsp;Barclays Center will host the NBA Draft for the&nbsp;eighth&nbsp;time.&nbsp;It last hosted the event in 2019 prior to the pandemic. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;11 &ndash;&nbsp;A college freshman has been the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft in each of the last&nbsp;11&nbsp;years. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;15 &ndash;&nbsp;This marks the&nbsp;15th&nbsp;consecutive year that Adam Silver will announce draft selections as either deputy commissioner (seven years) or commissioner (eight years including 2021). &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;1947 &ndash;&nbsp;The NBA Draft will be held in July for the first time since&nbsp;1947, the year of the inaugural draft.
Prospects &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;1 &ndash;&nbsp;In 2020-21, USC forward-center Evan Mobley became the&nbsp;first&nbsp;player to win the Pac-12 Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year awards in the same season. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;3 &ndash;&nbsp;Florida State forward Scottie Barnes, NBA G League Ignite guard Jalen Green and Gonzaga guard Jalen Suggs have won&nbsp;three&nbsp;gold medals together with USA Basketball in international play: 2019 FIBA U-19 Basketball World Cup, 2018 FIBA U-17 Basketball World Cup and 2017 FIBA U-16 Americas Championship. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;4 &ndash;&nbsp;Four&nbsp;2021 NBA Draft prospects were teammates on the Montverde (Fla.) Academy team that went 25-0 during the 2019-20 high school season: Scottie Barnes, Oklahoma State guard Cade Cunningham, Arkansas guard Moses Moody and North Carolina center Day'Ron Sharpe.&nbsp;&nbsp; &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;7.6 &ndash;&nbsp;Adelaide 36ers guard Josh Giddey (Australia) led Australia&rsquo;s National Basketball League in assists with&nbsp;7.6&nbsp;per game in the 2020-21 season. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;19 &ndash;&nbsp;Besiktas forward Alperen Sengun (Turkey), the 2020-21 Turkish League MVP, turned&nbsp;19&nbsp;on July 25. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;48 &ndash;&nbsp;Tennessee guard&nbsp;Keon Johnson set the NBA Combine record with a max vertical jump of&nbsp;48&nbsp;inches.&nbsp;&nbsp; &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;75 &ndash;&nbsp;Last season, Cade&nbsp;Cunningham became Oklahoma State&rsquo;s first consensus All-America First Team selection in&nbsp;75&nbsp;years.
Teams &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;2 &ndash;&nbsp;The Houston Rockets franchise is set to select&nbsp;second&nbsp;overall in the NBA Draft for the first time in 51 years.&nbsp;In 1970, the then San Diego Rockets selected five-time NBA All-Star Rudy Tomjanovich with the No. 2 pick. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;3 &ndash;&nbsp;The Oklahoma City Thunder has&nbsp;three&nbsp;picks in both the first round (Nos. 6, 16 and 18 overall) and the second round (Nos. 34, 36 and 55 overall). &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;4 &ndash;&nbsp;The Toronto Raptors are poised to pick&nbsp;fourth&nbsp;overall in the NBA Draft for the first time since selecting newly elected Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Chris Bosh at that spot in 2003. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;7 &ndash;&nbsp;The Golden State Warriors&rsquo; first pick in the NBA Draft is at No.&nbsp;7&nbsp;overall, a spot where they have selected five-time NBA All-Star Chris Mullin (1985), two-time Kia NBA MVP Stephen Curry (2009) and NBA champion Harrison Barnes (2012) during the NBA Draft Lottery era. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;49 &ndash;&nbsp;The Cleveland Cavaliers are set to pick third overall in the NBA Draft for the first time in&nbsp;49&nbsp;years. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;51 &ndash;&nbsp;The Detroit Pistons are poised&nbsp;to make the first pick in&nbsp;the NBA Draft for the first time in&nbsp;51&nbsp;years.&nbsp;&nbsp;In 1970, the Pistons used the top pick to select eight-time NBA All-Star Bob Lanier, a longtime ambassador for the NBA Cares program.&nbsp;
Family Ties &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;9.2 &ndash;&nbsp;Auburn guard&nbsp;Sharife Cooper&rsquo;s&nbsp;sister, Te&rsquo;a Cooper, is currently averaging&nbsp;9.2&nbsp;points per game with the Los Angeles Sparks in her second WNBA season.&nbsp;&nbsp; &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;10 &ndash;&nbsp;Michigan forward Franz Wagner (Germany) and his brother, Orlando Magic forward-center Moritz Wagner, were both All-Big&nbsp;Ten&nbsp;Team selections with the Wolverines.&nbsp;&nbsp; &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;12 &ndash;&nbsp;Houston guard&nbsp;Quentin Grimes&rsquo;&nbsp;brother, NHL veteran Tyler Myers, was selected&nbsp;12th&nbsp;overall in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.&nbsp; &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;33 &ndash;&nbsp;Boise State&nbsp;forward&nbsp;Derrick Alston Jr.&rsquo;s father, Derrick Sr., was the&nbsp;33rd&nbsp;overall pick in the 1994 NBA Draft and played three seasons in the league.&nbsp; &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;1984 &ndash;&nbsp;Tennessee guard Jaden Springer is the son of Gary Springer, who was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers in the&nbsp;1984&nbsp;NBA Draft. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;1992 &ndash;&nbsp;Loyola Maryland forward&nbsp;Santi&nbsp;Aldama (Spain)&nbsp;is the son of Santiago&nbsp;Aldama&nbsp;Ales&oacute;n, who was a&nbsp;member of the Spanish National Team that competed against the Dream Team at the&nbsp;1992&nbsp;Barcelona Olympics.&nbsp; &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;2015 &ndash;&nbsp;Gonzaga guard&nbsp;Joel&nbsp;Ayayi (France)&nbsp;is the brother of&nbsp;Valeriane&nbsp;Ayayi&nbsp;Vukosavljevic, who played in the WNBA in&nbsp;2015.&nbsp;
Global Game &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;1 &ndash;&nbsp;Australia&rsquo;s Josh Giddey is poised to become the&nbsp;first&nbsp;NBA Academy graduate to be drafted into the NBA.&nbsp;Giddey attended NBA Global Academy in Canberra, Australia. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;6&nbsp;&ndash;&nbsp;If NBA G League Ignite forward Jonathan Kuminga is drafted in the top&nbsp;six, he would be the highest-drafted player from the Democratic Republic of the Congo since Dikembe Mutombo was drafted fourth overall in 1991. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;9 &ndash;&nbsp;Last year, a record&nbsp;nine&nbsp;players from or with ties to Nigeria were drafted: Isaac Okoro, Onyeka Okongwu, Aaron Nesmith, Precious Achiuwa, Zeke Nnaji, Udoka Azubuike, Desmond Bane, Daniel Oturu and Jordan Nwora. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;13 &ndash;&nbsp;Thirteen&nbsp;international players have been selected No. 1 overall in the NBA Draft, most recently Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton (Bahamas) in 2018. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;27 &ndash;&nbsp;A record&nbsp;27&nbsp;international players were selected in the 2016 NBA Draft, including a record 15 in the first round and a record-tying 12 in the second round. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;68 &ndash; Sixty-eight&nbsp;former Basketball Without Borders campers have been drafted into the NBA.&nbsp;This year&rsquo;s class features a number of potential draftees with BWB experience, including Gonzaga guard Joel Ayayi (France; BWB Europe 2017), Western Kentucky forward-center Charles Bassey (Nigeria; BWB Global 2017 &amp; 2018), Paris Basket guard Juhann Begarin (France; BWB Europe 2019; BWB Global 2020), Zalgiris Kaunas guard Rokas Jokubaitis (Lithuania; BWB Europe 2017), Adelaide 36ers guard Josh Giddey (Australia; BWB Asia 2018; BWB Global 2020), Texas forward-center Kai Jones (Bahamas; BWB Americas 2017), Seton Hall forward Sandro Mamukelashvili (Georgia; BWB Global 2017), KK Mega Basket forward-center Filip Petrusev (Serbia; BWB Europe 2017; BWB Global 2018), Alabama guard Josh Primo (Canada; BWB Global 2020) and Oostende forward Amar Sylla (Senegal; BWB Africa 2018; BWB Global 2019). &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;215/25 &ndash;&nbsp;The NBA Draft will reach fans live in&nbsp;215&nbsp;countries and territories in&nbsp;25&nbsp;languages on their televisions, computers, mobile devices and tablets. &nbsp; NBA G League &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;4 &ndash;&nbsp;Four&nbsp;former five-star high school prospects who helped lead NBA G League Ignite to the 2021 NBA G League Playoffs are entered in the&nbsp;NBA Draft:&nbsp;Jalen&nbsp;Green, Jonathan&nbsp;Kuminga, guard&nbsp;Daishen Nix and forward Isaiah Todd.&nbsp;&nbsp; &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;24 &ndash;&nbsp;Twenty-four&nbsp;of the 60 players who were selected in the 2020 NBA Draft played in the NBA G League during the 2020-21 season, including five first-round selections. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;49 &ndash;&nbsp;Daishen&nbsp;Nix&nbsp;has a chance to join Carlos Boozer, Mario Chalmers and Trajan Langdon as NBA players who grew up in the&nbsp;49th&nbsp;state &ndash; Alaska.&nbsp; &nbsp; ESPN &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;1 &ndash;&nbsp;The NBA Draft will air on both ABC and ESPN for the&nbsp;first&nbsp;time ever. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;5&nbsp;&ndash;&nbsp;Five&nbsp;virtual technology cameras will be used for the telecast. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;12&nbsp;&ndash;&nbsp;ABC and ESPN&rsquo;s on-air talent will feature&nbsp;12&nbsp;reporters. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;19 &ndash;&nbsp;ESPN will present the NBA Draft for the&nbsp;19th&nbsp;consecutive year. &nbsp; NBA TV &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;4 &ndash;&nbsp;NBA TV&rsquo;s NBA Draft night coverage will include&nbsp;four&nbsp;former first-round picks: Rex Chapman, No. 8 in 1988; Brian Shaw, No. 24 in 1988; Jim Jackson, No. 4 in 1992; and Brendan Haywood, No. 20 in 2001. &nbsp; Partners &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;38&nbsp;&ndash;&nbsp;Wilson was last used as the official basketball of the NBA&nbsp;38&nbsp;years ago.&nbsp;Last seen on the court in the 1983 NBA Finals, Wilson basketballs will adorn the green room at the NBA Draft and will join the latest draft class on the court for the 2021-22 season. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;75&nbsp;&ndash;&nbsp;The NBA Draft Cap from New Era features the commemorative NBA&nbsp;75th&nbsp;Anniversary Season logo and marks the first league-licensed product to carry the logo.

The 2021 NBA Draft: By the Numbers

PHOENIX (AP) — Devin Booker scored 31 points, Mikal Bridges added 18 and the Phoenix Suns pulled into a tie for the top spot in the Western Conference by beating the Utah Jazz 121-100 on Friday night.
Two nights after clinching their first postseason spot in 11 years, the Suns kept rolling and never trailed after the opening minutes. 
Booker shot 13 of 19 from the field, hitting three step-back jumpers late in the third that brought roars from the crowd. Chris Paul added 12 points and nine assists. Deandre Ayton had 11 points and nine rebounds.
The Suns and Jazz both have a 45-18 record. If they're tied at the end of the season, Phoenix would claim the No. 1 seed in the playoffs because they swept the three-game season series.
The Jazz were led by Bojan Bogdanovic, who scored 22 points. Utah has lost three of its last four games.
Utah was playing without their All-Star backcourt of Mike Conley and Donovan Mitchell. Conley was out because of a tight hamstring, while Mitchell has a sprained ankle. Without them on the floor, Phoenix flourished.
The Suns took a 25-point lead by midway through the second quarter when Cameron Payne's 3-pointer made it 50-25. The Jazz managed to cut the deficit to 68-52 by halftime.
Booker led the Suns with 16 before the break, while Bridges had 13. Bogdanovic had 15 for the Jazz.
The Jazz pulled within 70-57 in the third quarter, but couldn't get any closer. The Suns had their lead back up to 96-72 by the start of the fourth and eased to the win.
TIP-INS
Jazz: Conley, Mitchell and center Udoka Azubuike (right ankle) were out. Conley and Mitchell have combined to average about 43 points this season. 
Suns: Forwards Jae Crowder (right ankle) and Abdel Nader (right knee) didn't play because of injuries. ... The Suns shot 68% from the field (17 of 25) during the first quarter. ... The Suns' bench combined to score 49 points. Payne had 11 points, and Frank Kaminsky and Dario Saric each added eight.
UP NEXT
Jazz: Return home to host the Raptors on Saturday.
Suns: Travel to face the Thunder on Sunday.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Devin Booker scored 31 points as the Suns pulled into a tie for the top spot in the West by beating the Jazz 121-100 on Friday night.

Suns beat Jazz 121-100, pull into tie atop the West standings

Before we know it, the 2021 NBA Draft will be upon us, and it&rsquo;ll be even more of a crapshoot than the last one because NBA scouts have been unable to attend most college games or travel overseas to look at international prospects.
Veteran scouts used to working in packed gyms and arenas are instead poring over grainy game film from overseas and DVR&rsquo;d recordings of college games in order to get the best info they can on the players who will be available on July 29 &ndash; exactly three months from today.
With the 2020-21 NBA season winding down, this is a good time to look back at the 2020 draft and see how each of the first-round picks have panned out.
<ol>
<li>Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves: Either Edwards or LaMelo Ball will win Rookie of the Year, and Edwards probably wouldn&rsquo;t even be in the conversation if Ball had not gone down with an injury. The 19-year-old has increased his field goal percentage and three-point percentages over the course of the month of April, but his scoring has dipped from 24.2 points per game in March to 21.3 in April. His team has won five of seven, including two against the league-leading Jazz. He leads all rookies with 142 threes. (<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/revisiting-the-2020-nba-draft-how-are-firstround-picks-doing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Our Spencer Davies believes Edwards deserves ROY</a>). </li>
<li>James Wiseman, Golden State Warriors: He is out for the season after he had surgery to fix a meniscus injury in his right knee. The recovery time will be months rather than weeks. Wiseman averaged 11.5 points and 5.8 rebounds and showed flashes during his first season. The Dubs will be able to pair him with another top young prospect if Minnesota&rsquo;s pick falls outside of the top three. Golden State acquired it in the D&rsquo;Angelo Russell-Andrew Wiggins trade. It is unprotected the following season. </li>
<li>LaMelo Ball, Charlotte Hornets: He has not played in five weeks, but he is expected back any day after recovering from a broken wrist. He will have only a few days to re-acclimate himself with his teammates, including Malik Monk, whose return from a sprained ankle will coincide with Ball&rsquo;s. The rookie is averaging 15.9 points, 6.1 assists and 5.9 rebounds in just 28.6 minutes per game. </li>
<li>Patrick Williams, Chicago Bulls: He has started all 61 games he has appeared in, but he&rsquo;s averaging only 9.1 points and 4.6 rebounds and has eclipsed the 20-point mark only twice all season. He has reached double figures in points in only one of the Bulls&rsquo; last 11 games, but let&rsquo;s not forget he is only 19 years old &ndash; same as Edwards and Ball. Some 19-year-olds adapt quicker than others. </li>
<li>Isaac Okoro, Cleveland Cavaliers: He has started all 57 games he has played in, but the 20-year-old&rsquo;s numbers are quite pedestrian: 8.5 points, 42.2% from the field, 28.9% from three-point range, 2.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists. He had a season-high 20 points against Toronto on Monday, but went 1-for-8 on threes. He leads all rookies in minutes (31.8). </li>
<li>Onyeka Okongwu, Atlanta Hawks: He was never going to get a ton of run on a roster that already included Clint Capela and John Collins, and he is logging only 11.3 minutes per game. He has reached double figures in points three times and in rebounds once in 41 games. </li>
<li>Killian Hayes, Detroit Pistons: The French-American teenager has been getting consistent minutes this month after recovering from a hip injury (torn labrum) that sidelined him for three months. He has shown a knack for getting steals, but needs to learn how to draw fouls and get to the free throw line. He is 7-for-7 from the line in 10 games this month. </li>
<li>Obi Toppin, New York Knicks: He has appeared in 53 games without a single start and has scored in double figures only three times. But he plays for a coach, Tom Thibodeau, who brings rookies along slowly, and he has shot below 50% in only four of 15 games this month. </li>
<li>Deni Avdija, Washington Wizards: The rookie from Israel is out for the season with a hairline fracture in his ankle after starting 32 of his 54 games. He had been unspectacular, averaging only 6.3 points and making 53 three-pointers. </li>
<li>Jalen Smith, Phoenix Suns: He was sent down to the G-League in February, and he has seen mostly garbage time minutes in his 22 appearances. He&rsquo;s averaging 1.1 points, and he has attempted only three free throws all season (making one). </li>
<li>Devin Vassell, San Antonio Spurs: He has made two starts in 51 appearances and has shown some flashes, but he needs to become more consistent. He has seven double-figure scoring nights, two of which have come in the Spurs&rsquo; past six games. </li>
<li>Tyrese Haliburton, Sacramento Kings: Right now, he has to go down as the steal of the lottery and he&rsquo;s almost certain to finish third in Rookie of the Year voting behind Ball and Edwards. He&rsquo;s averaging 12.8 points and 5.3 assists with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.44, ninth-best in the NBA. In 18 games as a starter, he's averaging 14.6 points, 5.8 assists and 1.1 steals. </li>
<li>Kira Lewis, Jr., New Orleans Pelicans: The 20-year-old backs up Lonzo Ball and plays 16.5 minutes per night. He is steady but has had limited opportunities, having gone for 20 points one time. He ranks 12th among rookies in assists with 2.3 per game. </li>
<li>Aaron Nesmith, Boston Celtics: He had his best game of the season on Wednesday in a victory over Charlotte with 15 points, nine rebounds, three steals and three blocks. It was only his fourth double-figure scoring game of the season. He became <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-news-aaron-nesmith-is-first-boston-celtics-rookie-with-15-points-3-steals-and-blocks-since-paul-pierce">the first Celtics rookie to record a 15-3-3 game since Paul Pierce</a> did it in 1998-99. </li>
<li>Cole Anthony, Orlando Magic: He&rsquo;s experiencing trial by fire after the early-season injury to Markelle Fultz, and has improved every month. He is currently on a run of 10 consecutive double-figure scoring games and ranks fourth among rookies in scoring (12.0), third in assists (4.4) and fourth in free throw percentage (81.3%). </li>
<li>Isaiah Stewart, Detroit Pistons: He leads all rookies in rebounds (6.6), field goal percentage (57.4) and blocks (1.15) despite playing only 20.4 minutes per game. A very solid building block for Troy Weaver. </li>
<li>Aleksej Pokusevski, Oklahoma City Thunder: The 19-year-old is second among rookies in blocks per game (1.1) and is getting a lot of run on Sam Presti&rsquo;s rebuilding project, logging 25-plus minutes in 20 of the past 22 games. He&rsquo;s sixth among rookies in rebounding (4.6). </li>
<li>Josh Green, Dallas Mavericks: The Aussie shooting guard gets a little bit of run here and there, but his season-high is 8 points. He&rsquo;s only playing 10.3 minutes per game, but he has started in five games. </li>
<li>Saddiq Bey, Detroit Pistons: He&rsquo;s second among rookies in made three-pointers (139), seventh in scoring (11.3), seventh in three-point percentage (37.7%), second in free throw percentage (87.1%), 12th in rebounding (4.2) and ninth in minutes played (25.8). He might be Detroit&rsquo;s best rookie. </li>
<li>Precious Achiuwa, Miami Heat: He has appeared in 55 games and does not appear among the rookie league leaders in any category except rebounding, where he is 16th with 3.6 boards per game. He&rsquo;s only playing 12.4 minutes per game. </li>
<li>Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers: Maxey is a very solid player who caught everyone&rsquo;s attention on Jan. 9 when he dropped 39 points on Denver, which got Rafael Stone of Houston quite interested and may have kept James Harden from becoming a member of the Sixers. He has made 10 of his last 11 shots in the past two games. He&rsquo;s eighth among rookies in field goal percentage (46.1%). </li>
<li>Zeke Nnaji, Denver Nuggets: He cracked the rotation in February and March, but he hasn&rsquo;t played as much recently on a veteran-laden Nuggets team. He has scored just five points this month. In February, he averaged 5.9 points and 1.3 threes while shooting 46.7% from three. </li>
<li>Leandro Bolmaro, Minnesota Timberwolves: He&rsquo;s having a strong season in the ACB for FC Barcelona, where he is teammates with Pau Gasol and Nikola Mirotic. His coach is Sarunas Jasikevicius. Heck of a draft-and-stash. </li>
<li>R.J. Hampton, Denver Nuggets: He was dealt to Orlando as part of the Aaron Gordon trade, and let&rsquo;s just say he was winning a lot more in Denver. He is playing 23 minutes per night with the Magic and has made one start. With the Magic, he's averaging 8.6 points and 4.0 rebounds in 23.0 minutes. </li>
<li>Immanuel Quickley, New York Knicks: He has captured the imagination of Knicks fans, is fifth among rookies in scoring (11.7) and leads all rookies in free throw percentage (89.5%). He is also fifth among rookies in three-point percentage (38.7%). </li>
<li>Payton Pritchard, Boston Celtics: He has been much more productive than Nesmith. He has appeared in 57 of 63 games, is second among rookies in three-point percentage (41.6%, trailing only Desmond Bane) and he has only missed four free throws all season (in 41 attempts). </li>
<li>Udoka Azubuike, Utah Jazz: He has appeared in only 12 games and has a season-high of 4 points. Rudy Gobert is sort of in his way. </li>
<li>Jaden McDaniels, Minnesota Timberwolves: One of the few people who can say &ldquo;I beat the Jazz twice this season,&rdquo; McDaniels is 20th in scoring (6.8), 15th in rebounding (3.7), third in blocks (0.96) and 10th in three-point percentage (36.6%) among rookies. </li>
<li>Malachi Flynn, Toronto Raptors: One of the league&rsquo;s older rooks (22), he has been tutored by Kyle Lowry and has seen his role increase significantly this month as the team from Tampa plays out the string. He&rsquo;s shooting over 40 percent on threes in April, while taking a bunch of them. </li>
<li>Desmond Bane, Memphis Grizzlies: He leads all rookies in three-point percentage (45.5%), and he is 10th in scoring (9.1) and sixth in field goal percentage (47.1%). He averages 22 minutes for a team that has eight players averaging in double figures.</li>
</ol>
With the condensed schedule, limited practice time and COVID protocols, this season has not been easy for these rookies. Let&rsquo;s hope their sophomore campaign isn&rsquo;t as strange or difficult.

As the 2020 NBA Playoffs approach, some rookies are separating themselves from the pack, writes Chris Sheridan.

Revisiting the 2020 NBA Draft: How are the first-round picks doing?

Amadou Gallo Fall wanted to make one thing especially clear on the phone Thursday as he discussed the new Basketball Africa League: this is not going to be a feeder league for the NBA. It could eventually be a competitor to the Euroleague and the Chinese Basketball Association for Americans looking to play overseas.
&ldquo;We already have [six] national champions and six other teams that got through a 30-team qualifying tournament. From the jump, that&rsquo;s where we are,&rdquo; Fall, the president of the BAL, told BasketballNews.com via WhatsApp from Johannesburg, South Africa. &ldquo;The BAL is not looking to be a stepping stone.&rdquo;
There are currently 17 African Players on NBA rosters. Precious Achiuwa (Miami Heat) and Udoka Azubuike (Utah Jazz) were among eight 2020 draftees from or with at least one parent from Nigeria, including Isaac Okoro (Cleveland Cavaliers), Onyeka Okongwu (Atlanta Hawks), Zeke Nnaji (Denver Nuggets), Desmond Bane (Memphis Grizzlies via Boston), Daniel Oturu (Los Angeles Clippers via New York and Minnesota) and Jordan Nwora (Milwaukee Bucks).
&ldquo;We want as many players as possible to go to the NBA, but then to come back and play at home. Africa has stable leagues where players are not trying to get out,&rdquo; Fall said.
The BAL will begin play Sunday, May 16 at the Kigali Arena in Kigali, Rwanda, with 12 teams from Angola, Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, Tunisia, Algeria, Cameroon, Madagascar, Mali, Mozambique and Rwanda.
One of those teams is all but certain to produce an NBA-caliber player, but the existing Africa-to-American pipeline that produced All-Stars Joel Embiid and Pascal Siakam, along with dozens of others, will remain in place. What&rsquo;s different is that many retired NBA players are now part of the African domestic league and national team infrastructure, including Luol Deng (head coach and president of the national federation in South Sudan).
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZCRjMT4ycuc" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Fall worked in the NBA league office after a stint with the Dallas Mavericks as Director of Player Personnel and Vice President of International Affairs. Prior to being named BAL President, Fall was Vice President and Managing Director of NBA Africa, where he worked with local federations, corporations, NGOs and other key stakeholders to grow the game of basketball across the continent.
This is his crowning achievement, and he repeatedly stressed that BAL is aiming to be one of the world&rsquo;s top destination leagues.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m confident that we will increase exponentially, and we will attract talent from around the world. They will want to come to Africa,&rdquo; Fall said. &ldquo;This is about building the ecosystem, not about growing the players so that they can play somewhere else.&rdquo;
Jonathan Kuminga of the G League Ignite is from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and should be an NBA lottery pick next season. Baylor's Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua of Cameroon, Iona's Nelly Junior Joseph of Nigeria and Washington State's Efe Abogibi of Nigeria, are notable African players in college basketball.
Each team is permitted to have two players from a different African country. Also, they can have two "import" players, which will open opportunities for American players who typically try to find work in Europe or China if they are not quite NBA-ready.
Dikembe Mutombo, Manute Bol, Hakeem Olajuwon and Steve Nash (born in South Africa) are among the greatest NBA players of all time from the continent, and more will be coming from Africa. What&rsquo;ll be different from now on is that African players will have a league to return to should they choose to.
Nigeria (24) and Senegal (12) have produced the most NBA players. Former New York Knick Charles Smith has close ties to the federation in Cape Verde, and Tacko Fall of the Boston Celtics has been one of the league&rsquo;s most popular players over the past two seasons.
What is the next African hotspot?
&ldquo;Tunisia has to be talked about,&rdquo; Fall said, also mentioning Senegal, Mali, South Sudan and Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast). &ldquo;They are the reigning Afrobasket champion and have a very strong federation and player development.
The man would know.
Fall has a whole continent of basketball players under his wing now, along with a pro league that, if successful, will draw players in from around the world.&nbsp;

Chris Sheridan speaks with BAL President Amadou Gallo Fall about the goals of the new league and African basketball.

Basketball Africa League could be Euroleague, China alternative

This year, there were 107 international players from 41 countries on opening-night rosters for the 2020-21 NBA season.

NBA rosters feature 107 international players from 41 countries

Nekias Duncan looks ahead to how the five teams in the Northwest Division will fare in the upcoming NBA season.

2020-21 NBA Season Preview: Northwest Division

Ethan Fuller breaks down the state of each NBA franchise and ranks the most frustrating teams ahead of the 2020-21 NBA season.