Game Recap: Kevin Durant’s late-game heroics seal the Suns’ 115-112 victory

The Phoenix Suns concluded their current three-game homestand with a win against the Miami Heat on Wednesday night. The Suns cruised to a 115-112 victory, fueled again by Kevin Durant’s ice-cold composure in the fourth quarter. Durant scored 32 points and grabbed eight rebounds, but it was his powerful shot down the stretch that gave the Suns their seventh win of the season. With this win, Phoenix improved to 6-0 in critical situations this season, thanks largely to Durant’s steady presence.

However, Durant didn’t do it alone. Jusuf Nurkic showed an outstanding performance on both sides and scored 20 points, 18 rebounds and two blocks. He even showed off his range by sinking three three-pointers, each of which found the bottom of the net.

Tyler Herro led Miami with 28 points, but the loss dropped the Heat to 3-4 on the season.

The win marks the sixth straight for the Suns and moves them to 7-1 on the year. After OKC lost to Denver, the Suns are now No. 1 in the West.

Game flow

First half

Jusuf Nurkic made his presence felt at both ends of the pitch straight from the goal. Miami tried to attack inside, but Nurkic stood his ground and effectively deterred their shots. This forced the Heat into a difficult start, making just two of their first eight attempts. On offense, Nurkic led the charge, scoring six of the Suns’ first 10 points and grabbing four rebounds. Ten of the first 14 points were scored by Phoenix, highlighting their commitment to the interior game.

Phoenix’s strategy seemed clear: leave Bam Adebayo open on the perimeter and tempt him to shoot from mid-range. It worked, as Adebayo missed his first three attempts right where the Suns wanted him to shoot.

Kevin Durant played the entire first quarter as usual, contributing seven points and helping keep the game tight. At the end of the quarter, the Suns had a slim lead of 26-25.

Ryan Dunn opened the second quarter with a much-needed three-pointer, marking his first point after two scoreless games. His defensive influence was also evident, challenging Heat players on the sidelines, blocking Jimmy Butler (although it resulted in a foul) and blocking a shot from fellow freshman Kel’el Ware.

The defensive energy proved infectious; Moments later, Bradley Beal made a big block in transition, adding to Phoenix’s defensive momentum.

Dunn made another three-pointer, but Phoenix’s sloppy ballhandling allowed Miami’s bench to capitalize on turnovers. Duncan Robinson made the Suns pay by coming off the bench and shooting a sharp 3-of-5 from distance.

Nurkic continued to control the boards and grabbed his 10th rebound with seven minutes left in the half. And then he showed unexpected range, hitting a three-pointer from the left wing to put the Suns up 41-40. Moments later, he scored again, keeping Phoenix on top and proving he’s a true three-point shooting center! Okay…maybe just for a few moments a second.

Miami continued to apply pressure, took advantage of Phoenix’s turnovers and converted at the end. The Suns turned the ball over nine times in the first half, while Miami gave up the ball just three times – a recipe for staying competitive. They had 10 fewer points on those turnovers.

Bradley Beal picked up a questionable third foul before halftime. Why? Because Scott Foster was officiating and somehow he’s still out there making those head-scratching calls.

Miami ended the half on an 8-5 run, with Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo scoring every point, to take a 58-55 lead into the locker room. Tyler Herro led Miami with 14 points and shot a solid 3 of 5 from distance. Nurk led the Suns with his 14 and 12, Booker added 11 and the Suns were 9 of 21 (42.9%) from deep .

Second half

This is your reminder that Kevin Durant is very good at basketball.

Bradley Beal was whistled for his fourth foul when Tyler Herro made a three-pointer and then leaned into Beal’s attempted block. Even though Beal got all the balls, the first decision didn’t go his way. Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer challenged the play and once again Bud’s instincts were spot on. The call was overturned and Herro was instead assessed an offensive foul for flopping against Beal.

Phoenix fired from beyond the arc to start the third period, but the shots just weren’t falling. Meanwhile, Miami heated up and found its rhythm from deep. After a frustrating sequence in which Phoenix allowed three offensive rebounds, Miami drained a three-pointer and extended its lead to nine.

A 17-5 run by the Heat extended their lead to 11, prompting Budenholzer to call a timeout with 4:41 left in the third period.

But then they started to fall.

Kevin Durant and Grayson Allen hit a pair of three-pointers late in the third quarter, capping a 10-2 run by Phoenix that put them back within striking distance, trailing by just seven with less than a minute left in the quarter.

When the buzzer sounded to end the third quarter, the Suns had managed to overcome a 15-point deficit and entered the fourth quarter trailing by just 87-84.

Ryan Dunn came back into the game and took on the difficult task of guarding Jimmy Butler, bringing an infectious energy with him. Mason Plumlee showed his tireless effort when he dove into the stands to try to save a loose ball to start the fourth period.

As the shot clock ticked down, Nurkic hit his third three-pointer of the night – this time from an impressive 28 feet, probably the deepest shot of his career.

Phoenix regained the lead at 93-92 with eight minutes left when Grayson Allen drained a wide-open three-pointer.

With just over five minutes remaining, the game ended in a 101-101 draw for the sixth time in eight games.

Miami secured another offensive rebound, but Jusuf Nurkic once again proved his importance on defense. The Suns’ seventh block of the night came when Nurkic beat Bam Adebayo at the rim. On the ensuing possession, Kevin Durant hit his trademark 12-foot jump shot to push Phoenix ahead by five points with two and a half minutes left.

Haywood Highsmith proved to be a persistent challenge for the Suns throughout the evening. He finished with a season-high 19 points and converted an and-1 play with 33.2 seconds left to cut the deficit to 112-110.

But when it’s clutch time, it’s KD time. Durant calmly sank a 20-footer over Highsmith on the next possession, extending the lead to two possessions with 16 seconds left. Although Booker missed a crucial free throw and the door was open for Miami with 4.8 seconds left, the Heat failed to get a shot off.

The Suns were able to secure a 115-112 victory.

Phoenix hits the road…for one game…to play the Dallas Mavericks on Friday. It’s the second time they’ve seen Dallas this year, having beaten them 114-102 earlier in the season.

See you Friday night, Bright Side. Well, actually, I’ll see you at Rod Argent’s first thing in the morning In the suns.