PHOENIX -- A strong run before the All-Star break has the Utah Jazz sitting in a Western Conference playoff spot and back to .500. But there are still plenty of goals ahead.

Guard Rodney Hood scored 25 points and forward Gordon Hayward had 14 of his 23 points during a 31-point first quarter as the Jazz won their sixth straight game, a 98-89 win over the reeling Phoenix Suns on Saturday night.

"I think for us, we're not discussing (the winning streak), we're just moving on to the next game," Hayward said. "We've started to get some guys back, we're healthier, and that's been a huge plus for us.

"We're also growing up a little bit. We have guys getting more experience and we're learning how to win games."

Guard Raul Neto and center Rudy Gobert added 13 points each for the Jazz, whose winning streak is a season high. They reached .500 (25-25) for the first time since they were 10-10 on Dec. 10.

The Jazz led by 19 points in the first quarter and by as many as 23 in the third quarter but saw the lead cut to six at 94-88 on a 3-pointer by Phoenix guard Devin Booker with 1:34 left before closing out the win.

"The game is a microcosm of what the season can look like," Utah coach Quin Snyder said. "You can play real well and then you don't play as good. Lately, we've been playing well, or I should say better. We've won at home (the first five in a row) and we've won on the road. Obviously, I just want to see us get better."

Booker scored a team-high 18 points and forward Markieff Morris had 17 points, seven rebounds and eight assists for the for the Suns (14-38), who have lost 22 of their past 24 games overall.

"It seems like we can't get it together," Booker said. "Either we start off a game good or we finish a game good. We won the last three quarters, but the big deficit in the first quarter hurt us. We just have to maintain the same drive and energy the whole game."

Forward Mirza Teletovic had 15 points and guard Archie Goodwin had 14 for Phoenix, who has had losing streaks of nine, six, and now seven during the current tailspin.

"Right now, we're learning how to try to compete to win without a point guard," said Suns interim coach Earl Watson, who has Goodwin playing the point with Eric Bledsoe, Brandon Knight and Ronnie Price, all out with injuries. "Archie is young, he's trying to figure it out and he's going to figure it out.

"Sooner or later, Brandon Knight's going to be back, Ronnie Price is going to be back and these nine-point, seven-point and six-point losses eventually become (wins)."

The Suns went the first 4:30 without a point the Jazz scored the first 10, the last five by Hood. Utah ended the quarter on an 11-2 run with Hayward, who outscored Phoenix by himself in the first quarter with 14 points, hitting a 6-footer with 26.9 seconds left to give Utah a 31-12 lead.

The Suns missed 17 of 22 shots in the quarter and had almost as many technical fouls (three) as baskets (five). Morris was 0 of 4 to start a 6-of-22 shooting night.

"I missed a couple of easy ones -- shots I won't miss much," Morris said. "The energy was there, we just missed a lot of shots and they picked up a lead on us."

Phoenix made a brief run in the second period with a driving layup by Morris cutting the Utah lead to 36-25 with 4:28 left. But the Jazz answered quickly and Neto's 3-pointer off a Hayward assist with 1.8 seconds left restored the lead 53-35 at the half.

The Jazz pushed their lead to as many as 23 in the third quarter when Hood's 9-foot floater made it 65-42 Utah with 6:54 left. But the Suns ended the quarter with 13-4 run and two free throws by Goodwin with 24.1 seconds left closed the gap to 71-58.

The Suns fouled Gobert several times in the fourth quarter in an attempt to catch up. But Gobert, a 60 percent free throw shooter, hit 9 of 12 from the line to spoil the strategy.

"I'm happy, it just gives me points. I like it," said Gobert, who had 13 rebounds to go with his 13 points.

Snyder said he's sticking with Gobert late in games.

"It can go away because we aren't taking him out," he said. "That was a decision we made. If we're going to be the type of team we want to be and he's going to be the player he wants to be, he has to shoot them and he has to make them."

NOTES: Utah G Trey Burke (flu-like symptoms) did not travel with the team. ... Suns interim coach Earl Watson, who was a teammate of Gordon Hayward's in Utah: "I remember the first day of practice when he was a rookie, Raja Bell was the starting two-guard and he close-lined him, dropped him. Gordon jumps right back up, so quick, as if to say, 'I won't be intimidated, I'm going to be here for long time. I'm here to fight my way into a position." ... Devin Booker had reached double figures in 11 straight games, the first Suns rookie to do so since Michael Finley did so in 23 straight games from Jan. 11-Feb. 23, 1996. Walter Davis reached double figures in all 81 games he played during his rookie season (1977-78). ... With T.J. Warren (foot) done for the season, the Suns signed G Orlando Johnson to a 10-day contract on Friday. Johnson was averaging 15.2 points with the Austin Spurs of the NBA Developmental League. ... The Suns have lost at least six games in a row three times during their 2-21 tailspin. Every other NBA team has at least five wins during that span.