NBA: Devin Booker stars as Phoenix Suns beat Chicago Bulls

Devin Booker scored 38 points to help the Phoenix Suns beat the Chicago Bulls 127-124 and secure their 13th win in 14th games.

Chris Paul finished with 19 points and 11 assists while Jae Crowder hit 10 points, 10 rebounds and six assists.

Phoenix have now won four straight games over the Bulls, including two wins last season.

The Golden State Warriors stretched their winning streak to nine by beating the Oklahoma City Thunder 110-98.

Klay Thompson scored 21 points for the Warriors, while Stephen Curry fell just short of a triple-double with 18 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds.

It is the Warriors' longest winning streak since an 11-game run in January 2019.

Donovan Mitchell starred as the Utah Jazz erased a double-digit second-half deficit to beat the New York Knicks 113-104 in Salt Lake City.

Mitchell scored 32 points and finished with seven rebounds, six assists and four steals, while Bojan Bogdanovic and Mike Conley Jr scored 20 and 18 respectively to condemn the Knicks to a third straight defeat.

The Miami Heat secured a comfortable 121-100 win over the Washington Wizards, while the Toronto Raptors ran out 116-101 winners to inflict a fifth successive defeat on the Charlotte Hornets.

Monty Williams Names Kevin Durant As The Most Merciful Player

MDP Live - Phoenix Suns head coach Monty Williams will never forget Kevin Durant's great service in his career. He was able to develop into what he is today thanks to Durant's great help.

As is known, Monty Williams is one of the coaches who has shone in the past year. He was able to polish the Phoenix Suns to become one of the superior teams in the NBA west conference. Currently, Devin Booker and his friends are able to top the standings with a record of 41 wins and only 9 defeats. Responding to his extraordinary career journey, Williams called Kevin Durant the player who had the most merit in his development.

He had a team with Durant when he was still an associate head coach at the Oklahoma City Thunder and assistant to the US national team in 2013-2016. He could learn a lot from Durant as a star player in Uncle Sam's country.

"He (Kevin Durant) is one of the most diligent players I have ever had. He's a player that when I coached him he encouraged me to see how hard he trained to get all of this. He was the first player to support me as a coach in the league. Williams said in an interview.

"He once told me to leave a meeting, and we started a training program. In my opinion, Durant is a very extraordinary person. Because at that time, he dared to ask me to accompany training, and did not care about other coaches," he added.

Phoenix Suns Officially Extend James Jones Contract

MDP Live - The Phoenix Suns have finally made a firm decision regarding the future of their general manager, James Jones. Jones was given a contract extension because of his good performance.

As general manager, James Jones can be said to have carried out his duties quite well in the last two years. He managed to polish the Suns into one of the top teams that have consistent performance. Last season alone, the Suns made it through to the NBA finals even though they had to settle for being runners-up.

With the positive changes that Jones brought, of course the Suns did not want to lose his services. Therefore, team officials immediately extended his contract. It is not known in detail how long the new contract will be. But one thing is clear, the Suns are relieved to continue working with Jones.

"We are very fortunate to have someone like Jones leading this team. He is very good at building a team. Jones is not only good at seeing the talent of players, but he can also put the right squad together. on or off the pitch," said Robert Saver, managing partner at Phoenix Suns.

For Jones himself, this contract extension made him even more comfortable. He can work optimally without having to worry about his future. In the near future, he will try hard to help the Suns win the title after a long fasting.

Phoenix Suns Steady at the Top After Losing Lakers at Staples Center

MDP Live - Los Angeles Lakers again helpless against the Phoenix Suns. Without Anthony Davis, LeBron James et al had to admit the superiority of the Suns with a landslide score of 90-108.

In the match which took place at the Staples Center, Wednesday (12/22), the Lakers were still not accompanied by Frank Vogel, who was still absent because he had to quarantine in Chicago.

Without Davis, LeBron James as usual bears great responsibility. He scored 19 points in the first half, making 9 of 13 attempted shots. But LeBron does not seem to get good support from his colleagues.

While Carmelo Anthony was sent off in the third quarter. Melo protested strongly against the referee. Because, Melo feels that Jae Crowder has violated him. Melo looked frustrated when the Lakers fell behind and couldn't do much. He only scored seven points in that match.

At the end of the third quarter, the Suns managed to lead by a score of 75-73. This condition makes the team made by Monty Williams comfortable. In the fourth quarter, the advantages of Chris Paul et al were not able to be pursued by the Lakers and ended this match with a score of 108-90.

Booker became the mainstay in scoring with 24 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists. Deandre Ayton had 19 points and 11 rebounds, while JaVale McGee had 10 points and 10 rebounds.

From the Lakers camp, DeAndre Jordan, who was lined up to replace Anthony Davis, was unable to dispel Ayton and McGee. LeBron finished the game with 34 points, followed by Russell Westbrook with 22 points and 10 rebounds.

This victory, made the Phoenix Suns firmly at the top of the Western Conference standings by collecting 25 wins and five defeats. While the Lakers are stuck in seventh place with a score of 16 wins and 16 defeats.