From start to finish, there was a playoff buzz in the building, and the Phoenix Suns came out on top against the Dallas Mavericks with a final score of 130–126.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!This was the first big test for this new-and-improved Suns’ starting roster with Kevin Durant. And with Kyrie Irving now on the Mavs, Durant’s’ old teammate, the rivalry got even sweeter.
Kevin Durant went off, and it started on a 6 for 6 run for 16 points. The 13-time All Star finished with a Suns’ high of 37 points on just 17 shots.
This is the Durant that everyone expected to see when he first put on a Suns’ uniform.
KEVIN DURANT CLUTCH. 🔥🔥🔥
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) March 5, 2023
Kevin Durant.
You know who he is! pic.twitter.com/d61eQBLDln
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) March 5, 2023
Kevin Durant proves once again why he has always been a little better than LeBron: He can SHOOT, he can lead the league in free throw shooting … and HE CAN CLUTCH SHOOT FROM DISTANCE AND FROM THE FREE-THROW LINE, AS WE JUST WITNESSED, AGAIN.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) March 5, 2023
And of course, it had to be Durant who made the biggest shot of the day, as he put Phoenix up by two with a little over 10 seconds remaining.
Kevin. Durant. Has. Arrived.
pic.twitter.com/gcKXRO0yP2— Suns Are Better (@SunsAreBetter) March 5, 2023
But right behind KD, his counterpart, Devin Booker, had himself his third straight 30+ point game. Durant’s presence on the court has allowed Booker to shine over the past week.
Booker recorded 10 assists and 35 points, shooting 15–25. Even more impressive, he only made one three pointer.
History for the Suns was made today.
Devin Booker and KD are the first Suns duo to score 35+ PTS in the same game since 2017 pic.twitter.com/O50qw244zc
— DurantMuse (@Durantmuse) March 5, 2023
Devin Booker is 12-6 vs Luka…. I’ll hang up and listen
— LI Jaguars (@LiJaguars) March 5, 2023
Devin Booker averages with KD alongside him:
36 PPG
7.7 AST
5.3 REB
56% FG pic.twitter.com/PPFDrLFBON— Sandra (@sandraacxo) March 5, 2023
Devin Booker is a walking bucket. So is KD. This is going to be fun
— EQ (@EQBirdGang) March 5, 2023
But, behind this deadly duo came a huge performance off the bench from Ish Wainright.
Wainright had a handful of deadly threes in clutch time; he finished the game 4 of 5 from beyond the arc for 11 points.
An underrated performance that truly was the difference maker late in the fourth quarter.
Ish wainwright won us that game 🥲
— . (@ammmiiittt) March 5, 2023
Ish Wainwright saving us right now 🥵
— kam (@cuzznkamm) March 5, 2023
Shout out to Ish Wainwright!
— َJ🏜️ ③⑤ (@PrimeJynx_) March 5, 2023
clutch time ish wainwright
— mansur (@mansurshaheen) March 5, 2023
The Phoenix Suns next game will be this Wednesday at 7 p.m. against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
