Recently recorded Kevin Durant’s Phoenix Suns triumphed 126-130 over the Mavericks this Sunday in Dallas in a highly contested last-minute game that saw sparks fly between Luka Doncic and Devin Booker at the end.
After Durant hit a basket with just 12.4 seconds left (126-128), Doncic missed a shot near the rim and faced a Booker who had words for the Slovenian after that crucial miss.
Mavericks and Suns are dragging a remarkable pique, culminating in that huge defeat of Dallas in the seventh game of the 2022 West Semifinals, and this also marked the first game between Durant and Kyrie Irving since both left the Brooklyn Nets.
This was Durant’s third game with the Suns, he had 37 points and 7 rebounds and was perfectly coached by Booker with 36 points and 10 assists.
For the Mavericks, who have gone 4-6 since Irving landed in Dallas, the stars also responded: Doncic had 34 points and 9 rebounds (with a Gray 8 of 23 shooting, 1 of 9 triples) while Irving had 30 points and 7 assists .
A TIGHT MEETING FROM THE START
Deandre Ayton scored 6 points, including two kills, and the visitors took advantage at the start (7-13).
With the Suns playing more closely as a team and the Mavericks relying more on their numbers, the Phoenix team reached a 9-point lead in the first period.
But the locals reacted and a drive from Reggie Bullock and three-pointers coming off the bench from Markieff Morris and Tim Hardaway Jr. sharpened the score in a first segment that ended 25-31 and 10 points ahead of Durant.
Facing a failed Doncic in the first quarter (1 of 7 shooting), Durant set the pace for the Suns in the second period as well.
However, Hardaway Jr. appeared in Dallas with 15 points in the second quarter, including a great 4-for-4 3-pointer, as the Mavericks turned the game around.
Booker, who scored the last 10 points for his team and reached his 17 points in the game, managed to stop the advance of the Mavericks, who went to the locker room at least 62-59.
Hardaway Jr. shone in the first half with 18 points (5 of 6 on 3-pointers) but in Phoenix, Booker (17) and Durant (16) responded.
BOOKER AND DURANT DECIDE
All the Mavericks balls were looking for Doncic or Irving as the Texans defended their third quarter lead against a fearless Booker.
The figures of both teams took a step forward at the restart with a fantastic duel.
Doncic had 17 points in the third quarter and Irving added 13 while Durant had 12 for Phoenix and Booker 13.
However, it was two triples from Ish Wainright and one from Torrey Craig that put the visitors ahead on the scoreboard and a tackle from Booker put the Suns ahead 95-96 in the fourth quarter.
Hardaway Jr. hit his sixth 3-pointer of 7 tries to tie the score at 98 early in the last quarter and was followed by Christian Wood, who scored 10 points in two and a half minutes to boost the hosts (108-102 with 8.34 to go). .
However, both teams continued to trade on the scoreboard until the final minutes in a very exciting outcome.
Wainright hit his fourth triple of the afternoon to give the Suns the lead with 2.07 to go (122-124), Doncic and Dwight Powell tied on 126, but Durant, with a brilliant basket with 12 seconds left, let the road to victory for some Suns who only had to condemn this important win from the free kick.
Source: El heraldo
I’m George Gonzalez, a professional journalist and author at The Nation View. With more than 5 years of experience in the field, I specialize in covering sports news for various print media outlets. My passion for writing has enabled me to craft stories that capture the attention of readers all over the world.
