NBA Cup: Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal return to lead Suns past Lakers as Rockets clinch knockout round spot

The Phoenix Suns were finally back at full strength on Tuesday night.

The Suns, with both stars Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal back on the court after their respective calf injuries, flew ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers. They earned a 127-100 victory at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, handing the Lakers their first ever loss in the NBA Cup.

The Suns had struggled of late without both Durant and Beal available. Durant missed the Suns’ last seven games with a calf strain, and Beal missed five straight games with his calf injury. The team went just 1-6 with Durant out, and they lost five straight with both guys out.

But on Tuesday night, thanks to a huge 22-6 run to end the third quarter, fueled in large part by Jusuf Nurkic, the Suns had no trouble cruising to the 27-point victory. That third quarter push suddenly had the Suns up by 20 points entering the fourth quarter.

Durant had 23 points and six rebounds for the Suns in the win. He also shot 9-of-17 from the field. Beal finished with 23 points and shot 10 of 15 from the field. He chased LeBron James for a wild block off the backboard in the fourth quarter, leaving James incredibly slow to get back to the other end of the court.

Devin Booker led the Suns with 26 points and 10 assists, and Nurkic added 12 points and 12 rebounds. They also shot 51.5% from the field as a team.

Anthony Davis led the Lakers with 25 points and 15 rebounds in the loss, moving them to 10-7 on the season. James finished just shy of a triple-double with 18 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds.

The Suns and Lakers now sit at 2-1 in group play with one game remaining. The Lakers, who won the first version of the event last year, will wrap up the opening round with a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday. The Suns host the San Antonio Spurs next Thursday. While the Suns have a slight lead in the standings, the group is still very much on top heading into the final game.

Bucks survive without Giannis

Giannis Antetokounmpo was a late scratch for the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night, and it seemed to surprise everyone — including coach Doc Rivers.

Antetokounmpo was ruled out of their 106-103 win against the Miami Heat shortly before tipoff at the Kaseya Center with a knee problem. He went through the shootaround and his pregame routine normally, but then he felt discomfort in his knee. He was considered probable before the game while recovering from a calf strain.

Despite taking a 20-point lead into the third quarter, the Heat rallied back to make it a one-possession game in the final minutes. They held the Bucks without a field goal in the final two minutes of the game. But a late Tyler Herro bucket was off the mark in the final few seconds, allowing the Bucks to sneak away with the 3-point victory.

Damian Lillard led the way for Milwaukee after a huge first half performance. He dropped 25 of his 37 points in the first 24 minutes, and he finished with 12 assists and eight 3-pointers. Brook Lopez finished with 13 points and Bobby Portis added 11 off the bench.

Jimmy Butler led the Heat with 23 points and five assists. Herro finished with 18 points and Terry Rozier added 17 points. The Heat are now 7-8 on the season and 1-2 in NBA Cup play.

Antetokounmpo is averaging a career-high 32.4 points and 11.9 rebounds while shooting nearly 61% from the field. Tuesday’s win marks the second game he has missed this season. While the Bucks escaped with a win without him on Tuesday, marking the team’s fifth straight victory and keeping them unbeaten in Group B play, they need him available if they are to make it to the knockout stages. The NBA Cup.

Rockets knock knockout around the bunk

The Rockets almost blew a perfect opportunity to clinch a spot in the knockout round on Tuesday night.

But thanks to a late defensive stand and a wild layup from Alperen Sengun, the Rockets are now officially the second team to make it out of the group stage.

The Rockets beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 117-111 in overtime on Tuesday at the Target Center. Despite letting a 17-point second-half lead slip away, Houston held Minnesota scoreless for the final 3:12 of regulation and then surged ahead in overtime to win. Sengun helped push the win with a ridiculous backward layup midway through the period as well, which they used to win by six points.

The Rockets were the only team with a chance to clinch Tuesday. The Golden State Warriors already clinched a spot in the knockout round, and the New Orleans Pelicans were officially eliminated on Friday. The Timberwolves are now 1-2 in pool play.

The Wizards were officially eliminated after falling to the Chicago Bulls 127-108 on Tuesday night. The Wizards went 0-3 in NBA Cup play. The Jazz were also eliminated after falling to the San Antonio Spurs 128-115. The Spurs also have a 2-1 record in Group B with the Lakers and Suns.

The Bucks’ win over the Heat also effectively eliminated the Toronto Raptors from the knockout stage. The Raptors didn’t play Tuesday, but they were 0-2 in NBA Cup play and are now officially out of reach.