Kevin Durant scored 42 points, including a clutch three-pointer that helped snuff out a late Cleveland rally, as the host Phoenix Suns scored their third straight win with a 123-112 defeat of the Cavaliers on Friday, March 21 (Saturday, March 22, Manila time).
Durant’s three-pointer with 70 seconds remaining in regulation came as Cleveland (56-14) was threatening after trailing by as many as 21 points.
Phoenix (34-37) led for much of the first half, then used an 18-9 scoring advantage spanning nearly seven minutes of the third quarter to build a sizable cushion.
However, the Cavaliers — trying to avoid their first four-game losing streak of the season — cut the gap to seven points with two minutes to go in the fourth quarter.
Devin Booker answered a pair of Donovan Mitchell free throws, hitting a mid-range jumper under duress on the other end to push the Suns lead back to nine points.
Booker then rebounded a missed Evan Mobley three-point attempt, and after drawing a double-team, whipped a cross-court pass to a wide-open Durant.
Durant swished the clean look, part of his 4-of-9 performance shooting from beyond the three-point arc.
Booker dished one more assist to complete a double-double with 10, finding Oso Ighodaro for an exclamation-point dunk.
Ighodaro’s flush completed a night in which he scored 6 points, grabbed 13 rebounds, and recorded a game-high plus-15 plus-minus rating in more than 40 minutes on the court.
Phoenix had a well-rounded performance overall, with Booker scoring 17 points and Collin Gillespie adding 13. Royce O’Neale came off the bench for 15 points and Tyus Jones put up another 16 in reserve duty.
Darius Garland led Cleveland with 18 points, De’Andre Hunter scored 17 off the bench, and Mobley registered a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds.
Mitchell shot a dismal 2-of-18 from the floor, including 0-of-8 from three-point range, and finished with 7 points. – Rappler.com