The Pelicans have maintained the No. 6 seed in the West, but the Suns are just one win back and the teams will meet on Sunday in Phoenix.
Jonas Valančiūnas played 24 minutes, scored 11 points (5/10 doubles, 1/4 penalties), rebounded 7 balls, made an assist and committed one foul.
Devin Booker scored as many as 52 points for the guests, which is his fourth most productive performance in his career.
The home team, who started the duel tragically, trailed by as much as 22:46 in the first quarter, and D. Booker alone had already scored more points than the entire Pelicans team (24). The defender hit 8 of 9 shots from the field in the first half.
In the second quarter, the Suns maintained a solid lead and led 74-54 after halftime.
The Pelicans reduced their deficit in the third quarter and had a 13-point deficit (90-103) before the decisive quarter.
The intrigue came to life after CJ McCollum’s three-pointer, the “Pelicans” were on the heels of the rivals (108:115), but D. Booker’s productive section secured an important victory for the Suns.
All players of the Suns’ starting five scored at least 11 or more points: Kevin Durant had 20, Jusuf Nurkic had 19 (19 rebounds), Bradley Beal had 13, and Grayson Allen had 11 points.
Zion Williamson was the most productive player for the Pelicans – 30 points and 5 assists, Trey Murphy – 21, CJ McCollum – 15 points.
