Utah Jazz defeat Phoenix Suns 87-80

By Tony Jones

| The Salt Lake Tribune

First Published Jan 04 2013 06:08 pm • Last Updated Jan 16 2013 06:28 pm

Phoenix • A winning streak. Three words that haven’t been uttered around the Utah Jazz in quite a while.

With a dominating defensive performance, and a great second half from Paul Millsap, the Jazz smashed the Phoenix Suns 87-80 at US Airways Center on Friday night.

In doing so, Utah held the Suns to a mere 49 points after the first quarter. They smothered Phoenix with suffocating defense and turned the last few minutes into garbage time as a result.

Heading into a matchup with Denver on Saturday night, it was a much-needed road win for Utah. It’s also the first time since 2010 the Jazz have beaten Phoenix on the road.

With Enes Kanter out with a sprained ankle, Derrick Favors received extended minutes and had a huge impact with his defense and activity in the paint. Without as much pressure to produce on defense, Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap dominated on the other end.

This is the second consecutive win for the Jazz, who defeated Minnesota on Wednesday night.

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