Brooks and Booker power Suns to a 126-117 win over the struggling Nets

NEW YORK (AP) — Dillon Brooks scored 27 points, Devin Booker had 23 and the Phoenix Suns beat the Brooklyn Nets 126-117 on Monday night.

Collin Gillespie finished with 22 points and Grayson Allen added 14 off the bench for the Suns, who have won five of their last seven games. Mark Williams had in 16 points and eight rebounds.

Phoenix shot 57% (44 for 77) from the field, including 51% (20 for 39) from long distance.

The Suns led by as many as 20 points in the first half and had a 17-point lead with 9:08 in the fourth quarter before the Nets charged back.

Brooklyn’s Noah Clowney capped a 19-6 run with a three-point play that cut the deficit to 118-114 with 4:01 left in regulation. Brooks then responded with a 3-pointer, but was called for a technical foul after he made contact with Michael Porter Jr.

Clowney converted the technical free throw shot before Allen found Royce O’Neal wide open on the wing for a 3-pointer that made it 124-115, putting the game out of reach.

Porter scored 23 points to lead the struggling Nets, who have won one of their last eight games. Clowney had 16 points and reserve Ziaire Williams added 15.

The Nets have lost nine of their 11 games in January after going 7-4 in December following a 3-16 start to the season.

Playing on the second night of a back-to-back, Brooklyn rested rookie guard Egor Demin, who suffered a left plantar fascia injury in the summer, and Cam Thomas, who missed 20 games because of a left hamstring strain. Backup center Day’Ron Sharpe did not play due to illness.

Suns: Continue their road trip at Philadelphia on Tuesday.

Nets: Visit the New York Knicks on Wednesday.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

Phoenix Suns' Collin Gillespie (12) defends Brooklyn Nets' Tyrese Martin (13) during the second half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Phoenix Suns' Oso Ighodaro (11) dunks the ball in front of Brooklyn Nets' Michael Porter Jr. (17) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Brooklyn Nets' Ziaire Williams, right, defends Phoenix Suns' Collin Gillespie during the first half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Phoenix Suns' Devin Booker (1) defends Brooklyn Nets' Michael Porter Jr. (17) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast (AP) — Ivory Coast, the world’s top cocoa producer, said it will buy unsold cocoa stocks to keep exports flowing and ensure farmers are paid, as global prices have plunged in recent months.

Since October, falling global cocoa prices in the West African country have slowed exports, causing unsold stocks to build up.

Synapci, the Ivory Coast's main cocoa farmers’ union, estimates that 700,000 tons of cocoa remain unsold and therefore unpaid. Some farmers, deprived of income for nearly two months, have been forced to sell their stock at a discount or destroy rotten cocoa, plunging them into severe hardship.

“We want to reassure them,” Agriculture Minister Kobenan Kouassi Adjoumani told reporters on Tuesday. “The situation is now under control, and collection operations will begin in the coming days,” he said.

Adjoumani said the government would purchase unsold cocoa stocks at the guaranteed seasonal price.

Cocoa is traded on a regulated, global market. In Ivory Coast — which produces between 2 million and 2.5 million metric tons of cocoa annually, almost half the world’s cocoa supply — the government usually sets cocoa prices at the start of each season, with prices reflecting market trends and global prices.

Unlike most African countries, Ivory Coast's government controls cocoa sales through the Coffee and Cocoa Council to protect farmers from price swings. About 85% of the harvest is sold in advance at a fixed price, guaranteeing farmers a stable income.

In 2024 cocoa prices reached record highs. In October 2025, the council set the price at a record level — roughly $5,000 per metric ton — raising hopes ahead of the country's presidential election. But global prices have since fallen to around $4,630 per metric ton. Multinational buyers have refused to purchase the remaining 15% of cocoa, leading the government to step in and buy the unsold stocks.

The government's announcement failed to convince Moussa Koné, president of Synapci. “They are making nice promises, but what guarantees are they offering?” he said. “And what about those who have already had to throw away cocoa that rotted because of the blockade?”

The new purchase price for the mid-crop season, due to be announced on April 1, is expected to fall sharply.

FILE - Cocoa pods hang on a tree in Divo, West-Central Ivory Coast, Nov. 19, 2023. (AP Photo/Sophie Garcia, File)