This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

The Jazz have struggled to stop small, quick, scoring point guards this season.

Not so Tuesday night.

During Utah's 112-105 win over Phoenix at Vivint Smart Home Arena, the Phoenix Suns' dynamic quarterback combination of Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight scored 29 points on 11 of 28 shooting.

Knight scored 10 points on 11 shots in the fourth quarter, when Phoenix fought all the way back from a 23-point deficit and tied the game with three minutes left.

At that point, however, Utah's defense stepped up and made five straight stops to help the Jazz win for the seventh time in eight games.

Utah's struggle to slow high-scoring point guards has been an issue all the season.

It started in the opener at Portland, where Damian Lillard poured in 39 points in the Trail Blazers' 113-104 win.

Utah has also watched Charlotte's Kemba Walker score a team-high 21 points in a 104-98 win and Miami's Goran Dragic score 27 in a 111-110 victory.

On Monday night, it was Lou Williams' turn. Although the Jazz defeated the Lakers, 107-101, Williams finished with 38 points and seven assists in 34 minutes. With him on the floor, L.A. was a plus-22.

Before Utah played on the second night of a back-to-back against the Suns, coach Quin Snyder admitted his team has had difficulty with players like Bledsoe and Knight — especially without injured guards like George Hill and Alec Burks.

"That's the challenge," Snyder said. "Without George and Alec, we're big but not necessarily quick on the perimeter. … We just told our guys, 'You have to man up and guard your guy.'

"Sometimes, as well as you prepare collectively and try to have a system, you can't sustain it if you can't stay in front [of your opponent]. You have to focus and it has to be important to you."

After the Jazz survived against the Suns, Snyder was asked how his players — notably point guards Dante Exum and Shelvin Mack — responded on defense.

"I thought in the first half, in particular, we did a good job," he said. "… We worked at it. That's the main thing. If you do that, hopefully we'll have enough to get by, like we did tonight."

Said Mack: "The biggest thing is trying to keep them out of the paint and everything they do — make them think about it. You are going to get screened but try to send them into Rudy [Gobert] and I think we did a great job of that." —

Suns blocked

• Phoenix guards Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight combine for 29 points on 11-for-28 shooting.

• In the first half, the Jazz limit Phoenix to 45 points on 41.7 percent shooting.