Donovan Mitchell scored 23 points to lead a balanced offensive effort that sparked the Jazz to a 116-88 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Thursday night in Salt Lake City, Utah's eighth consecutive win.

Rudy Gobert added 21 points and 13 rebounds while Ricky Rubio chipped in 12 points and 11 assists. The Jazz won for the 20th time in 22 games.

TJ Warren scored 19 points and Josh Jackson added 17 to lead the Suns. Phoenix lost for the 17th time in 18 games.

Gobert scored three quick baskets -- punctuated by an alley-oop dunk to put Utah up 11-6 early during the first quarter. The Jazz couldn't maintain the lead as the quarter progressed. They couldn't get their outside shots to fall, going just 1 of 9 from the perimeter in the quarter.

Phoenix tied it on back-to-back baskets from Jackson and Marquese Chriss and finally went in front 22-19 when Jared Dudley capped a 7-0 run with a 3-pointer.

The Jazz surged ahead in the second quarter. Joe Ingles (17 points) buried a pair of 3-pointers to fuel an 11-1 run that put Utah up 33-26. Later in the quarter, Mitchell capped a 16-5 run with an alley-oop dunk and a 3-pointer on back-to-back possessions to extend the Jazz's lead to 56-41.

Utah picked up where it left off after halftime. The Jazz scored baskets on six consecutive possessions to open the third quarter, capped by a steal and dunk from Gobert. That surge helped Utah carve out a 69-46 lead with 9:11 remaining in the quarter.

Dudley and Chriss were both ejected in the third quarter. Chriss earned a technical foul for shoving Rubio, and Dudley earned a flagrant-two foul for subsequently pushing Rubio to the ground.

Dante Exum made his season debut for the Jazz and finished with 10 points, three rebounds and two assists in 14 minutes. Exum missed Utah's first 68 games after sustaining a separated shoulder in a preseason game against the Suns.

--Field Level Media