Phoenix Suns (43-35) beat Chicago Bulls (29-49) 120-110 on the road on Sunday, April 5.
The game, quarter by quarter
The teams matched each other with 30 points apiece in the first quarter, leaving it level at 30. The Suns moved in front with a 33-26 second quarter, carrying a 7-point lead into halftime.
The Bulls won the third 28-23 to stay in front, taking a 2-point lead into the fourth. The Suns took the fourth 34-26; the Suns finished the job for a 120-110 regulation win.
What decided it
The Suns got more from their shots, finishing at 57.9% effective field-goal shooting compared with 50.5% for the Bulls. The Suns took better care of the ball, turning it over on 14.6% of possessions compared with 17.1% for the Bulls. That shooting gap supplied the clearest edge.
The Bulls did win one battle, second chances: ORB% of 31.8% against 25.6%. The Suns made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 104 possessions per team, the Suns produced 115.5 points per 100 possessions to 105.9 for the Bulls.
Who made the difference
Tre Jones was the game's biggest individual force for CHI: 29 pts, 3 reb, 6 ast on 12-20 shooting. His Game Score of 23.7 led everyone. His team was -1 with him on the floor.
Devin Booker led the Suns with 30 pts, 3 reb, 4 ast on 9-22 shooting, good for a 19.5 Game Score.
Leonard Miller (17 pts, 10 reb, 2 ast) recorded a double-double.
What it means
The pre-game Win Meter had it close to a coin flip, at about 62% for the Suns.
Across the last 3 meetings in our records, Phoenix Suns lead 2-1.
The Suns are now 43-35, and the Bulls are 29-49. The Suns last five before this game: L-W-W-L-L.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.