Devin Booker scored 32 points and Kevin Durant added 25 in only three quarters as the visiting Phoenix Suns defeated the San Antonio Spurs 131-106 on Saturday.
It was the opening of a two-game series between the clubs over three nights in Texas, as well as the Suns’ first of five games on the road.
Phoenix shot 61.6 percent from the field in the opening three quarters, surpassing the 100-point mark in the last seconds of the third period, sending Booker and Durant to the bench for the next 12 minutes.
The Suns have won three consecutive games.
With 11 games remaining, the Suns (42-29) are virtually tied with Dallas for sixth place in the Western Conference, but if the teams are tied, the Mavericks will win the tiebreaker. Phoenix has the most difficult remaining schedule in the West, with 10 consecutive playoff-bound teams following Monday’s game against the woeful Spurs.
Bradley Beal led Phoenix with 13 points and 12 assists, while Bol Bol contributed 13 points, Eric Gordon had 12 and Drew Eubanks had 10. Jusuf Nurkic had ten rebounds for Phoenix.
Keldon Johnson led the Spurs (15-56) in scoring with 14 points, followed by Victor Wembanyama with 13, Blake Wesley with 12, Zach Collins with 11, and Tre Jones with 10.
The Suns led from the start, going on an 8-0 run capped by a basket by Grayson Allen at 5:46 in the first quarter to increase a one-point lead to 17-8. Allen made another layup with 2:14 left in the first to extend Phoenix’s advantage to 24-12, and the Suns led by nine points after 12 minutes.
Durant’s jumper with 4:12 remaining in the second quarter made it 49-31, and Gordon’s 3-pointer with 1:03 left increased the Suns’ lead to 20 points. Jones made a running jumper at the buzzer to cut San Antonio’s deficit to 65-47 at halftime.
Durant (17 points) and Booker (16 points) led the Phoenix offense before halftime. Wembanyama led the Spurs with 11 points at halftime.
The Suns did all the damage they needed to do in the third quarter, expanding their lead to as many as 32 points and leading 103-71 heading into the fourth quarter.