Game recap: Kevin Durant’s late heroics seal Suns’ 115-112 victory

On By Littum

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

Durant didn’t do it alone, though. Jusuf Nurkic had an outstanding performance on both ends with 20 points, 18 rebounds and two blocks. He even showed off his range, sinking three three-pointers that each found the bottom of the net.

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

The win marks six straight for the Suns and moves them to 7-1 on the year. With OKC losing to Denver, the Suns now own the #1 seed in the West.

Game Flow

First half

Jusuf Nurkic made his presence felt right out of the gate on both ends of the floor. Miami tried to attack the interior, but Nurkic held his ground and effectively deterred their shots. This forced the Heat into a rough start, making just 2 of their first 8 attempts. On the offensive end, Nurkic led the charge, scoring six of the Suns’ first 10 points and grabbing four rebounds. Ten of Phoenix’s first 14 points came in the paint, underscoring their commitment to the interior game.

Phoenix’s strategy seemed clear: Leave Bam Adebayo open on the perimeter, tempting him to take mid-range shots. It worked when Adebayo missed his first three attempts, right where the Suns wanted him to shoot from.

Kevin Durant, being his usual self, played the entire first quarter and contributed seven points and helped keep things close. At the end of the quarter, the Suns held a slim 26–25 lead.

Ryan Dunn started the second quarter with a much-needed three-pointer that marked his first points after two scoreless games. His defensive impact was also evident, challenging Heat players at the rim, blocking Jimmy Butler (though it resulted in a foul call) and deflecting a shot from fellow rookie Kel’el Ware.

The defensive energy proved contagious; soon after, Bradley Beal made a huge block in transition, adding to Phoenix’s defensive momentum.

Dunn hit another three-pointer, but Phoenix’s sloppy ball handling allowed Miami’s bench to capitalize on the turnover. Duncan Robinson made the Suns pay when he came off the bench to shoot a crisp 3-of-5 from beyond the arc.

Nurkic continued to control the boards and grabbed his 10th rebound with seven minutes left in the half. And then, showing unexpected range, he hit a three from the left wing to put the Suns up 41-40. Moments later, he drained another one, keeping Phoenix in the lead and proving to be a true three-point shooting center! Okay… maybe just a few moments in the second.

Miami kept pressing, capitalizing on Phoenix turnovers and eventually converting. The Suns turned it over 9 times in the first half, while Miami turned the ball over just three times – a recipe for staying competitive. They had 10 points from those turnovers.

Bradley Beal picked up a questionable third foul before the half. Why? Because Scott Foster officiated, 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 each scoring points 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 beyond the arc. Nurk led the Suns with 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 drained a three-pointer and then leaned into Beal’s attempted block. Even though Beal got it all, the first call didn’t go his way. Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer called the play, and once again Bud’s instincts were right. The call was overturned and Herro was instead hit with an offensive foul for flopping into Beal.

Phoenix came out firing beyond the arc to start the third, but the shots just weren’t falling. Meanwhile, Miami warmed up and found their rhythm from deep. After a frustrating sequence in which Phoenix allowed three offensive rebounds, Miami knocked down a three and extended their lead to nine.

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

But then they started to fall.

Kevin Durant and Grayson Allen knocked down a pair of threes late in the third, capping a 10-2 Phoenix run that brought them back within striking distance, down just seven with under a minute left in the quarter.

When the buzzer sounded to close out the third, the Suns had managed to chip away at a 15-point deficit heading into the fourth quarter, trailing only 87-84.

Ryan Dunn reentered the game and took on the difficult task of guarding Jimmy Butler, bringing an energy that was contagious. Mason Plumlee showcased his relentless hustle as he dove into the stands in an attempt to save a loose ball to start the fourth.

With the shot clock winding down, Nurkic drilled his third three-pointer of the night — this one from an impressive 28 feet out, probably the deepest shot of his career.

Phoenix regained a 93-92 lead with eight minutes left when Grayson Allen knocked down an open three-pointer.

With just over five minutes remaining, the game reached clutch time for the sixth time in eight outings, tied at 101-101.

Miami secured another offensive rebound, but Jusuf Nurkic once again showed 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 drained his signature 12-foot jumper to put Phoenix ahead by five with two and a half minutes remaining.

Haywood Highsmith proved a persistent challenge for the Suns all night, finishing with a season-high 19 points and converting 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-foot jumper over Highsmith on the next possession, extending the lead to two possessions with 16 seconds left. Even though Booker missed a crucial free throw and left the door open for Miami with 4.8 seconds left, the Heat couldn’t get a shot off.

The Suns held on to secure a 115-112 victory.

Phoenix hits the road…for one game…to play against Dallas Mavericks on Friday. This is the second time they have seen Dallas this year, after beating them 114-102 earlier in the season.

See you Friday night, Bright Side. Well, I won’t actually see you until tomorrow morning with Rod Argent’s Inside the Suns.