Suns win to clinch NBA best mark and home playoff edge

The Suns, who welcomed back injured guard Chris Paul after a five-week absence, won their seventh game in a row and improved to a league-best 60-14, clinching the Western Conference title. "That felt good," Booker said. "It was a very high intensity game.

We wanted it. We wanted our 60th game tonight and we ended up doing it." Booker made 16 of 25 shots from the floor, two of five from three-point range, and 15-of-17 from the free throw line while also contributing 10 assists, four rebounds, three steals and a blocked shot. The Suns, who also had 22 points from Mikal Bridges plus 16 points and a game-high seven rebounds from Deandre Ayton, improved their league-best road record to 30-6.

Paul played 30 minutes and scored 17 points, passed off 13 assists and grabbed four rebounds. He sank four free throws in the final seconds to help clinch the triumph. The Suns went 11-4 during Paul's absence.

The All-Star point guard had not played for Phoenix since suffering a right hand injury in a victory over Houston on February 16. Before the injury, Paul averaged 14.9 points and an NBA-best 10.7 assists. Nikola Jokic scored 28 points to lead the host Nuggets, who fell to 43-31, a game ahead of Minnesota for sixth in the West.

Memphis superstar guard Ja Morant was idle due to a right knee injury, but the Grizzlies improved to 16-2 without him in the lineup with a blowout home triumph. Desmond Bane scored 30 points, Jaren Jackson added 20 and Stephen Adams grabbed a game-high 17 rebounds to power Memphis over Indiana 133-103. The Grizzlies improved to 51-23, the second-best record in the NBA.