NBA: Red-hot Suns feeding off Kevin Durant ahead of clash with Spurs

FILE– Devin Booker #1 and Kevin Durant #35 of the Phoenix Suns stand on the courtroom throughout a timeout type the second half of the NBA sport in opposition to the Minnesota Timberwolves at Footprint Middle on March 29, 2023 in Phoenix, Arizona.  Christian Petersen/Getty Pictures/AFP 

The Phoenix Suns will go for his or her sixth straight win once they host the immediately harmful San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday night time.

Phoenix (43-35) is coming collectively because the common season heads into the ultimate stretch and its roster is almost complete. The Suns flexed their appreciable muscle on Sunday in a 128-118 win on the street in Oklahoma Metropolis, with Kevin Durant scoring 35 factors, 13 of these within the fourth quarter, in Phoenix’s fifth consecutive victory, its longest profitable streak since November.

Devin Booker completed with 22 factors and 10 assists for the Suns, whereas Deandre Ayton had 19 factors and 11 rebounds and Chris Paul had 16 factors and eight assists.

Phoenix shot 56.8 p.c from the ground in Sunday’s win to match its season excessive. The Suns stay in fourth place within the West and are three video games up on the Lakers and New Orleans within the race to clinch the convention’s assured playoff spots with out having to take part within the play-in match.

The Suns are 6-0 with Durant within the lineup. Phoenix is changing into the group insiders anticipated it to be when Durant was dropped at the Valley of the Solar.

“There’s not a approach that he can’t rating,” Phoenix coach Monty Williams mentioned about Durant after Sunday’s win. “These type of gamers — they need these (clutch) photographs. They’re so used to having the ball of their fingers. … Guys work their tails off to be prepared for these photographs and he and Booker are a working example. That’s what Kevin does.”

FILE–Kevin Durant #35 of the Phoenix Suns blocks Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 of the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder in the course of the fourth quarter at Paycom Middle on April 02, 2023 in Oklahoma Metropolis, Oklahoma. Ian Maule/Getty Pictures/AFP

Phoenix has gained the primary two video games with the Spurs this season and has defeated San Antonio eight straight instances relationship again to Could 2021.

The Spurs (20-58) head to Phoenix after a rousing 142-134 additional time win in Sacramento on Sunday that snapped a six-game shedding streak. San Antonio acquired a mixed 56 factors from reserves Doug McDermott (season-best 30 factors) and Julian Champagnie (career-high 26 factors).

9 of McDermott’s factors got here within the additional interval during which the Spurs by no means trailed, whereas Champagnie scored 22 of his factors earlier than halftime.

San Antonio additionally acquired a triple-double from Tre Jones (17 factors, 11 assists, 10 rebounds) within the win, a double-double from Dominick Barlow (12 factors, 10 rebounds), 16 factors from Zach Collins, 15 from Malaki Branham and 13 from Keita Bates-Diop.

“I feel it’s the defensive finish, actually,” Jones mentioned. “That’s the primary factor for us. We got here out in additional time and so they scored immediately however then we have been in a position to string a number of stops collectively. We have been in a position to get some stops in the course of all of it and that basically helped us.”

San Antonio was with out Devin Vassell, Jeremy Sochan and Keldon Johnson resulting from accidents.

“It was an excellent night time for us,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich mentioned. “We had quite a lot of guys play rather well. We had profession video games by three or 4 guys. I’m simply comfortable for them. They’ve been busting their butts all 12 months. We don’t have many wins.”

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