By The Associated Press

Devin Booker scored 30 points, T.J. Warren had 25 and the Phoenix Suns defeated the Denver Nuggets 108-100 on Friday night.

Josh Jackson and Isaiah Canaan added 16 points apiece off the bench for Phoenix, which snapped a seven-game losing streak to the Nuggets.

The Suns benefited from an earlier arrival than their last game in Denver. Mechanical issues delayed their flight for the Jan. 3 game until five hours before the opening tip, and the Nuggets raced to a 134-111 win.

The extra night in Denver helped Phoenix to its first win against the Nuggets since Nov. 20, 2015.

Jamal Murray scored 30 in his return to the lineup and Nikola Jokic had 14 points and 17 rebounds for Denver. Murray missed Wednesday’s game at the Los Angeles Clippers with concussion symptoms. He was evaluated by doctors before the game and cleared to play.

The Suns grabbed the lead with a 17-3 run to start the second quarter and never trailed again. They led by as many as 15 in the first half, but Murray scored seven straight points to start the third quarter to get Denver within 62-59.

Phoenix scored the next 11 points to push the lead to 14. Denver made it 101-97 on a 3-pointer by Jokic and runner by Gary Harris with 3:57 left, but the Nuggets missed their last six shots and the Suns pulled away.

Harris finished with 16 points and Trey Lyles had 15 points and seven rebounds in his second start of the season.

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Kemba to Suns?

The Suns need a point guard and the Charlotte Hornets reportedly have made 2017 All-Star Kemba Walker available in a trade. On the surface, Walker seems like a perfect fit for Phoenix.

His ability to score – he’s averaging 21.7 points per game, along with 5.8 assists – would make life easier for Devin Booker, who might not see as many traps or double-teams. A Booker-Walker-T.J. Warren scoring triumvirate would be a tough matchup for opposing teams.

 

But as in any NBA deal, there are other issues to consider. The Hornets reportedly want to attach one of their bad contracts in any Walker trade. It’s unlikely the Suns, who want to land a marquee free agent either this summer or the summer of 2019, would want their salary cap space eaten up by Nicolas Batum (four years, $100 million), Dwight Howard (two years, $47), Marvin Williams (three years, $42 million) or Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (three years, $39 million).

In addition, there’s the question of what the Hornets would want in exchange for Walker. One report suggested Marquese Chriss or Dragan Bender and a No. 1 pick. That’s a high price to pay, particularly given the fact Walker will be a free agent after the 2018-19 season and would need to be re-signed to a hefty deal.

Finally, the Suns are playing their way toward perhaps a top-five pick in the 2018 draft, putting them into position to select one of the top three point guards available: Slovenia’s Luka Doncic, Oklahoma’s Trae Young or Alabama’s Collin Sexton.

A case can be made that it would be wiser to get one of the three on a rookie contract than give up assets to acquire Walker.

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