Durant fires 35 as Suns fend off Thunder for 5th straight win

MANILA, Philippines – Kevin Durant scored 35 points to lead the Phoenix Suns to a 128-118 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Oklahoma City on Sunday, April 2 (Monday, April 3, Manila time).

Durant scored 13 of his points in the fourth quarter, helping the Suns hold off a Thunder rally.

Phoenix (43-35) has won five consecutive games, its longest winning streak since November.

Oklahoma City (38-41) has lost five of its last seven but remained a game up on Dallas for the 10th spot in the Western Conference – the final spot in the play-in tournament – thanks to the Mavericks’ loss to Atlanta earlier Sunday.

Oklahoma City cut what was a 16-point Suns lead to 3 points on Isaiah Joe’s three-pointer with just more than five minutes remaining.

But Durant answered Joe’s three with one of his own and Deandre Ayton grabbed a rebound and hit a shot on the other end moments later to put the Suns back in control.

Chris Paul assisted on both Durant’s and Ayton’s baskets.

Devin Booker finished with 22 points and 10 assists for the Suns while Ayton had 19 points and 11 rebounds.

Paul had 16 points and 8 assists – 5 in the fourth quarter.

The Suns led by as many as 15 in the third quarter before Oklahoma City cut the deficit to 6 with an 11-2 run in less than two minutes midway through the quarter.

Phoenix stretched the lead to 11 before the Thunder made their fourth-quarter push.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 39 points, making all 17 free throws he attempted.

Josh Giddey added 16 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists. The game was tied entering the second quarter but the Suns came alive in the second.

Phoenix hit 14 of 20 from the floor, scoring 42 points in the quarter to take a 14-point lead into halftime.

The Thunder kept a seat open for the late wife of Suns coach Monty Williams.

Ingrid Williams died in a car accident in Oklahoma City in 2016 when Monty Williams was an assistant coach for the Thunder. – Rappler.com