Game Recap: Suns extend win streak versus Dallas in final moments, 114-113

The Phoenix Suns improved to 8-1 on the season, extending their win streak to 7 games. 7-0 in the clutch. Top seed in the West.

It was another strong start for Phoenix, but the second half gave us all anxiety. The Suns only know how to play in clutch games this season, apparently.

Devin Booker on the Suns’ 8-1 start: “We’re just scratching the surface. I don’t think we’ve had a clean game yet.” It was a tough night from the field for Devin as he battled an illness, but he still recorded 12 assists.

The Suns’ bench outscored the Mavs’ bench 28 to 9 and Jusuf Nurkic gave them strong minutes to close the game out. Phoenix only turned it over 9 times in the narrow win. These are not last year’s Phoenix Suns.

Key Performers

Kevin Durant — 26 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 8-14 FG, 37 minutes
Devin Booker — 13 points, 12 assists, 6 rebounds, 5-13 FG, 35 minutes
Tyus Jones — 17 points, 5 assists, 2 rebounds, 7-13 FG, 31 minutes
Jusuf Nurkic — 15 points, 10 rebounds, 6-12 FG, 34 minutes
Luka Doncic — 30 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, 11-25 FG, 42 minutes
Kyrie Irving — 29 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 10-17 FG, 41 minutes

1st Half

Jusuf Nurkic picked up where he left off last game, drilling two threes with confidence to open the game. Phoenix got off to a strong start with a 17-13 edge with just under 6 minutes in the quarter.

Dallas fought back, taking a one-point lead before an above-the-break three from Royce O’Neale off a Devin Booker dime.

The ball movement was sharp early on from Phoenix, with 6 assists on their first 8 made field goals. The extra pass was being made on multiple efforts, leading to clean looks. A Suns three-point barrage led to a Dallas timeout with Phoenix leading 31-22.

Phoenix took a 36-26 lead into the second quarter. It was a balanced attack from the entire squad.

The second quarter continued with the torrid pace of play with each team pushing the ball whenever possible. Josh Okogie made his season debut in dramatic fashion with a poster dunk for his first two points of the season. With Ryan Dunn sidelined, Okogie made his debut.

Phoenix and Dallas traded blows in a back-and-forth second quarter. Phoenix edged Dallas 27-24 in the quarter and Luka Doncic survived a life-threatening elbow to the face. *coughs FLOP *coughs

Phoenix took a 63-50 lead into the half. The Suns made 10 threes in the first half.

Suns leaders: Booker: 11 points, O’Neale: 11 points, Jones: 10 points, Durant: 9 points.

Second Half

Dallas opened the 3rd quarter on a 15-2 run to tie the game up at 65. Dallas was simply hitting everything and Phoenix’s offense came to a brief halt.

The Mavs stole the momentum in the third. Kevin Durant got in Nurkic’s ear after a couple of rough possessions and a technical foul from the big man, then subsequently had an impressive “and-one” on the other end the next play.

Tyus Jones connected on a big triple to restore the lead a bit. The Suns were called for 7 fouls in 9 minutes in the 3rd quarter. It was brutal to watch that many stops in action and it resulted in a choppy string of possessions.

Heading into the final period, Phoenix held on to a four-point lead, 87-83.

Dallas scored the first 4 points of the quarter to tie it up at 87 a piece. A 14-4 Mavericks run to open the quarter gave them a six-point lead. That led to a Mike Budenholzer timeout.

Phoenix quickly responded with a 7-0 run to retake the lead. Kyrie Irving got hot and took over late to give Dallas a 4-point lead. Durant answered with a pair of big threes in “clutch time”. We had a duel between the former teammates.

A clutch three from Royce O’Neale tied the game at 109 with just over 2 minutes remaining.

The closing moments of the game were cinematic.

It ended with Jusuf Nurkic hitting a game-winning free throw after missing the first of two attempts.