National Basketball Association
Phoenix 128, Memphis 97
When: 9:00 PM ET, Saturday, February 20, 2021
Where: FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee
Officials: #49 Tom Washington, #21 Dedric Taylor, #82 Suyash Mehta
Attendance: 1994

Devin Booker scored a game-high 23 points, Mikal Bridges was one of three Phoenix players to finish with 19 points and the visiting Suns routed the shorthanded Memphis Grizzlies, 128-97, on Saturday.

Despite not scoring for the game's first 3:43, Phoenix surged ahead by 13 points at the end of the first quarter. Memphis put up little resistance from then on.

The Suns ran out to a 31-point halftime lead, holding the Grizzlies to fewer than 20 points in each of the first two quarters. The Suns' dominant first half defensively followed a fourth quarter in Friday's win at New Orleans in which Phoenix held the Pelicans to 12 points.

Phoenix's lead swelled to as many 36 points in the second half as the Suns took advantage of a dismal 3-point shooting night from the Grizzlies.

Memphis went 5-of-33 from behind the arc while Phoenix hit 24-of-46. Booker's 5-of-7 set the pace among the starters, while Bridges and Chris Paul each went 4-of-5 from outside. Paul finished with 16 points and six assists.

Dario Saric came off the bench to knock down 3-of-5 3-pointers and finish with 19 points, while Cameron Payne matched Booker's 5-of-7 en route to 19 points. Payne also passed for a game-high seven assists.

The win marked Phoenix's eighth in its last nine games.

Jonas Valanciunas finished with 10 points and a game-high 12 rebounds for Memphis, and Ja Morant added 12 points and five assists.

Playing in the second leg of a back-to-back, Memphis was without three starters from Friday's win over Detroit: Kyle Anderson, Grayson Allen and Brandon Clarke.

Dillon Brooks, who missed Friday's contest with a thigh injury, was again scratched from the lineup.

Memphis received some good injury news before tipoff with the activation of Justise Winslow, who missed the previous 25 games this season with a hip injury.

Winslow missed his first nine field goal attempts and finished with nine points in his season debut. His contribution was part of 51 Memphis bench points, led by Gorgui Dieng's 15.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Phoenix   Memphis
Devin Booker 23 Scoring Gorgui Dieng 15
Cameron Payne 7 Assists Ja Morant 5
E'Twaun Moore 7 Rebounds Jonas Valanciunas 11
Devin Booker 4 Free Throws Made Gorgui Dieng 8
Cameron Johnson 2 Steals Gorgui Dieng 1
Deandre Ayton 2 Blocks Gorgui Dieng 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Phoenix 128 53.5 24-46 12-13 35 41 7 5 12
Memphis 97 38.7 5-33 20-23 19 49 4 5 12
Upcoming Games
  • Memphis will play their next game on the road against Dallas. The Grizzlies have a W/L % of .538 after a win and .462 after a loss.
  • Phoenix will play their next game at home against Portland. The Suns have a W/L % of .611 after a win and .727 after a loss.