Kevin Durant scored 42 points to help the Phoenix Suns boost their chances of making the playoffs with a 123-112 win over the Eastern Conference leaders, the Cleveland Cavaliers, on Friday.
Durant’s brilliant display gave Phoenix their third win in a row as they fight for a place in the Western Conference playoffs.
He scored 19 points in the third quarter, helping the Suns take control of the game. By the end of the third quarter, Phoenix were leading 98-79, and they stayed in front until the final whistle.
The win moved the Suns into 10th place in the Western Conference, putting them in line for a spot in the play-in tournament.
The top six teams in each NBA conference go straight to the playoffs. Teams ranked 7th to 10th play in a mini-tournament to decide the last two places.
Speaking after the game, Durant praised Cleveland. “This is the best team in the league,” he said. “We’ve been struggling, and we know the last 10 games will be very tough. So we just wanted to stay focused and build on the hard work we’ve done this past week.”
The loss was Cleveland’s fourth in a row. The Boston Celtics are now just five wins behind them at the top of the Eastern Conference.
Boston improved their record to 51 wins and 19 losses after beating the Utah Jazz 121-99. Kristaps Porzingis scored 27 points and Jayson Tatum added 26.
In another game, the Detroit Pistons were beaten 123-117 by the struggling Dallas Mavericks. Detroit’s loss was a surprise, as Dallas had been having a difficult season after Luka Doncic was traded to the Lakers and Kyrie Irving was ruled out for the rest of the season with injury.
Dallas were helped by Spencer Dinwiddie’s 31 points and P.J. Washington’s 27 points. The win keeps Dallas in 11th place in the West with a 34-37 record, just outside of the play-in spots.
Detroit are still in 6th place in the Eastern Conference with a 39-32 record, which keeps them ahead of 7th-placed Atlanta, who have 33 wins and 36 losses.
Thunder Secure Top Spot
In the Western Conference, Oklahoma City Thunder celebrated clinching the number one seed with a huge 141-106 win over the Charlotte Hornets.
OKC had already secured first place after the Lakers lost to Milwaukee on Thursday. Against Charlotte, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the team with 30 points, and eight Thunder players scored double figures. They now have a 58-12 record at the top of the West.
Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said his team needs to stay focused as the playoffs approach. “We’ve got to play with a sense of purpose – you can’t relax going into the post-season,” he said. “It was a great 48-minute effort. We played to our standards on both offence and defence.”
Rockets and Timberwolves Push On
With Oklahoma City holding first place, the Houston Rockets boosted their chances of finishing second. They came back from 11 points behind to beat the Miami Heat 102-98. It was their ninth straight win.
Fred VanVleet was the star for Houston, scoring 37 points and hitting nine out of 11 three-pointers. The Rockets now have a 46-25 record.
The Minnesota Timberwolves also stayed close to the sixth-placed Golden State Warriors. Minnesota beat the New Orleans Pelicans 134-93 and now have a 41-31 record. Golden State are just ahead with 41 wins and 29 losses.
In another surprise result, the Portland Trail Blazers defeated the injury-hit Denver Nuggets 128-109.
