Payne, Booker help Suns overcome Curry’s 50-point night

PHOENIX: Cameron Payne scored a career-high 29 points, Devin Booker added 27 and the Phoenix Suns easily overcame Stephen Curry’s 50-point night to beat the Golden State Warriors 130-119 on Wednesday.

The Suns controlled most of the game despite Curry’s scoring. The eight-time All-Star made 17 of 28 shots, going 7 of 11 from 3-point range.

The problem for the Warriors was nobody else was helping. Klay Thompson finished with 19 points but shot just 6 of 17. The Warriors — defending NBA champs — fell to 6-9.

Curry’s scoring prowess is expected, but it was countered by one of the best games of Payne’s career. Starting in place of the injured Chris Paul, the 6-foot-3 guard made 9 of 17 shots, including 6 of 10 from beyond the arc.

The Suns led 103-89 going into the fourth quarter. The Warriors quickly cut into that margin but couldn’t get closer than eight points. Damion Lee hit back-to-back 3-pointers against his former team to keep the Suns comfortably ahead.

The Suns shot 21 of 40 (52.5 percent) from 3-point range. Mikal Bridges had 23 points, making 5 of 8 3-pointers.

CELTICS 126 HAWKS 101

In Atlanta, Jaylen Brown scored 22 points to lead a balanced attack and East-leading Boston beat Atlanta for their eighth straight victory.

The Celtics were missing injured guards Marcus Smart and Malcolm Brogdon. It hardly mattered.

There were plenty of players to fill the void against the Hawks, who were coming off a big win at Milwaukee and eager to show they could challenge the best in the conference. Not on this night.

Boston took control in the first quarter against the cold-shooting Hawks, whose occasional spurts were quickly snuffed out by the Celtics’ stifling defense.

Trae Young led the Hawks with 27 points, but