Devin Booker made the shot that broke Chicago’s last push, and the Phoenix Suns finished off the Bulls 120-110 on Sunday in Phoenix. The win lifted Phoenix to 43-35 with four games left, while Chicago fell to 29-49.
The Bulls, missing Matas Buzelis, Josh Giddey, Anfernee Simons, Zach Collins, Nick Richards and Noa Essengue, still found a way to make it uncomfortable. Phoenix led by seven at halftime, stretched the margin to 13 in the third quarter and then watched Chicago close to two points after an 11-0 run. With Chicago down by three and under three minutes left, Booker hit a late-clock shot to put the Suns ahead by nine with 90 seconds remaining, and that was enough to settle it.
Jordan Goodwin started for Phoenix, while Mark Williams opened at center instead of Oso Ighodaro. The Suns have leaned on offense all season and have not hidden their defensive problems, especially in transition, but they are still in position to control their own path in the Western Conference race. The Los Angeles Clippers were 39-38 and three games back in the loss column when the game was published, and Phoenix could lock up the seventh seed by winning two more games. It could also clinch with one more win if that victory comes Friday against the Lakers, which would also give Phoenix the divisional tiebreaker over the Clippers.
Read Also: Mark Williams upgraded, set to return off bench for Suns vs Hornets
That makes Sunday’s result more than another regular-season win. Phoenix had lost to Chicago under similar circumstances on March 5, and this time it held on when the game tightened late. The Suns have been using Goodwin in the starting lineup as a defensive shakeup, and Williams has taken over the middle, but the larger question is whether that is enough to steady a team that has still been carried mostly by its scoring.
