Devin Booker scored 32 points to lead the Phoenix Suns to a 123-120 road win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday, May 2 (Monday, May 3, Manila time).
The Suns (46-18) extended their winning streak to 4 games, moving into a tie with the Utah Jazz for the top spot in the Western Conference. Phoenix holds the tiebreaker.
A night after sustaining the largest home loss in NBA history – a 152-95 loss to Indiana – the Thunder stayed within striking distance much of the night.
The Suns led by 16 with 3:29 to play but the Thunder reeled off a 14-2 run to move within 4 with 36.8 seconds left.
It looked like the Suns’ lead would shrink even further when Booker was called for a foul on Luguentz Dort with 16 seconds left as Dort elevated for a three-pointer.
But Suns coach Monty Williams challenged the call, it was overturned, and Phoenix won the jump, with Mikal Bridges putting the game away at the free-throw line with 6 seconds left.
Oklahoma City suffered its 20th loss in the last 22 games and its third defeat in a row.
The win was the Suns’ first in Oklahoma City since December 2010, snapping a 16-game losing streak in the arena.
Booker helped the Suns steadily stretch the lead in the 3rd quarter, going 5-of-6 from the floor, scoring 14 of his points in the quarter. Nine of his points came in a 24-11 run that stretched their lead to 17 late in the 3rd. The Suns led by as many as 18 in the 4th before the Thunder charged back.
Theo Maledon scored 7 of his 18 points in the final 2:30, including a pair of three-pointers that helped give him the Oklahoma City record for three-pointers in a season for a rookie. He has 96.
Darius Bazley led the Thunder (21-44) with 19 points but was just 1-of-5 at the free throw line.
Chris Paul, playing his first game in Oklahoma City since being traded by the Thunder in the offseason, had 18 points and 11 assists, while Torrey Craig also scored 18 to go with a game-high 10 rebounds.
The Suns shot 54% from the field. The Thunder made 49%. – Rappler.com
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