Durant erupts in OT, leads Suns to 117-107 win over Nuggets after blowing 22-point lead
Wed, Mar 6, 2024
NBA News (AP)
DENVER (AP) - Kevin Durant scored 35 points, including eight in overtime, and the short-handed Phoenix Suns rebounded after blowing a 22-point lead in the second half to beat the Denver Nuggets 117-107 on Tuesday night.
After scoring just 12 points in the fourth quarter, the Suns erupted for 15 in OT, led by Durant and Bradley Beal, who had five of his 16 in the extra period.
Grayson Allen hit eight 3-pointers and scored 28 points to help the Suns snap a two-game slide.
Trailing 77-55 early in the third, Denver went on a furious comeback to turn what was looking like a rout into a thriller. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:30 remaining, followed by a Jamal Murray basket to make it 102-99.
Durant tied it with his first 3-pointer of the night and Nikola Jokic missed a last-second shot to send the game into overtime.
Murray finished with 28 points while Jokic added 25 points, 16 rebounds and five assists as the Nuggets had their six-game winning streak halted.
Allen hit eight straight 3-pointers, but missed his final four once the Nuggets put Caldwell-Pope on him as a primary defender.
Jusuf Nurkic fouled out with 2:28 remaining as he tried to contain Jokic. Nurkic had 12 rebounds a game after grabbing a franchise-record 31 boards against Oklahoma City.
The Suns were missing Devin Booker (sprained ankle), Nassir Little (knee), Damion Lee (meniscus surgery) and Josh Okogie (abdominal strain).
It was a big win for the Suns, who are in the sixth spot and teetering close to being in the play-in tournament.
Trailing 43-36 in the second quarter, the Suns went on a 29-5 run to open a comfortable cushion before halftime. The lead ballooned to 22 points early in the third before Denver's furious surge.
Jokic added to his resume of making buzzer-beating heaves when he swished a turnaround, 26-footer to end the first quarter. His shot - nicknamed the "Sombor Shuffle" - energized the crowd and capped a quarter where the teams were a combined 11 of 17 from 3-point range.
This was the second matchup between the Nuggets and Suns this season, but nothing like Denver's 119-111 win on Dec. 1 in Phoenix. In that contest, the Suns were without Booker, Damion Lee and Beal, while the Nuggets were missing Murray.
UP NEXT
Suns: Host Toronto on Thursday night.
Nuggets: Host Boston on Thursday night.
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