Kevin Durant goes on scoring onslaught as Suns extend hot run

Kevin Durant scored 13 of his 40 points in the fourth quarter and the Phoenix Suns recovered after squandering a double-digit lead to hold off the visiting Indiana Pacers, 117-110, on Sunday, January 21 (Monday, January 22, Manila time).

Phoenix, which won its fifth in a row, pounced on an Indiana team playing the last date of a six-game road swing. The Pacers were also without standout guard Tyrese Haliburton, who missed five games due to a hamstring injury before returning to the lineup on Friday. He was a late scratch on Sunday due to maintenance.

The Suns built a 14-point lead just past the midpoint of the first quarter and kept the Pacers at arm’s length much of the night until an 11-0 Indiana run in the fourth.

Buddy Hield bookended the run with two of his five three-pointers on the night. Hield led six Pacers scorers in double figures with 18 points.

Phoenix answered Indiana’s surge with a game-closing 14-5 run, ignited when Durant made the last of his four treys. He shot 18 of 25 from the floor overall, grabbed 9 rebounds and tallied 3 blocks.

Bradley Beal highlighted the Suns’ decisive run with a trio of baskets, part of his 25-point effort. He scored 6 of Phoenix’s 8 points in a span of 1:26 late in the fourth.

Devin Booker added 26 points despite shooting 1-for-7 from three-point range. He also dished out a game-high 8 assists.

Grayson Allen shot 3-for-4 from beyond the arc and chipped in 13 points for Phoenix, while Jusuf Nurkic grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds.

Pascal Siakam finished with 15 points and a team-high 7 assists in his second game with Indiana since a trade from Toronto. Jalen Smith added 15 points off the bench, while fellow Pacers reserves Jarace Walker and Obi Toppin added 10 points and 9 rebounds, and 13 points with 6 rebounds, respectively.

The Suns led 65-61 at the break behind stellar 60.5% shooting from the floor and 20 points from Durant. – Rappler.com