Kevin Durant scored 30 points, grabbed 13 rebounds, and blocked five shots as the Phoenix Suns defeated the defending champion Nuggets 104-97 on Wednesday night.
The Suns, who have the most difficult remaining schedule in the NBA, pulled a half-game ahead of Sacramento for seventh place in the Western Conference, as they strive to climb to sixth to avoid a play-in game. Dallas is sixth place, half a game ahead of Phoenix.
“I’m glad we didn’t let that Spurs game bleed over into the next game,” Durant said, referring to the Suns’ trip loss Monday night to a Spurs club missing rookie star Victor Wembanyama.
Kevin Durant and his team perfect long range shooting
The Western Conference-leading Nuggets struggled without starting point guard Jamal Murray, who missed his third consecutive game due to a sprained left ankle.
Nikola Jokic had 22 points, nine rebounds, and 10 assists despite lower back stiffness and left hip soreness.
The Nuggets, a half-game ahead of Oklahoma City and Minnesota, lost for the third time in 18 games since the All-Star break, with two of those losses coming at home against the Suns, who won 117-107 in overtime at Ball Arena on March 5.
Denver was once again defeated by the Suns’ outstanding long-range shooting, which included 16 of 33 attempts from behind the arc. Denver was 10 for 40 on threes. Nuggets coach Michael Malone said,
“Not once did I think these guys are playing harder than us,” “For most teams, every game is an important game. We’re trying to keep the No. 1 seed. You don’t have to come off a bad loss at San Antonio (like the Suns did) to be in a desperate game.”
Kevin Durant had 30 points, 13 rebounds, and five blocks, and the Phoenix Suns won in Denver for the second time this month, beating the defending champion Nuggets 104-97 on Wednesday night. Kevin Durant said,