Booker scores 30 as Suns hold on to beat Hornets 101-96 in Bridges’ first game against Charlotte

Detailed summary

Devin Booker had 30 points, seven assists and three steals, and the Phoenix Suns beat the Charlotte Hornets 101-96 on Thursday night.

PHOENIX (AP) — Devin Booker had 30 points, seven assists and three steals, and the Phoenix Suns beat the Charlotte Hornets 101-96 on Thursday night.

Miles Bridges got the win in his first meeting against his former team as the Suns won for the fourth time in five games after a 1-5 start. Dillon Brooks added 15 points and Collin Gillespie had 13 for the Suns.

Bridges finished with 11 points and six rebounds. The No. 12 pick in the 2018 draft spent his first seven seasons in Charlotte, where he is third in team history in points, before being dealt to Phoenix in a deal that sent Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale to the Hornets.

Coby White scored 21 points and Naz Reid had 16 for shot 6 for 18 from the field for the Hornets. Allen had 14 points and Christian Anderson finished with 13.

Booker’s 3-pointer gave Phoenix a 97-91 lead with 28 seconds left but O’Neale converted a four-point play that cut it to two. Bridges made two free throws and Booker added two more after a steal as the Suns held on.

Booker scored 13 points as Phoenix took a 28-22 lead after one quarter, and the Suns extended it to 48-31 when Bridges capped a 15-4 run with a layup midway through the second. Charlotte closed well and cut it to 55-50 at halftime on Allen’s 3-pointer.

Opening of the article, excerpted from Toronto Star. To read the rest, open the article on the publisher's site.