"ITS KDs team! Period! Booker is now average at best"- NBA fans in awe of Kevin Durant's clutch blitz as he helps Suns strengthen hold in West
Kevin Durant had another clutch performance in the Phoenix Suns’ 114-113 road win against the Dallas Mavericks on Friday. Durant and Jusuf Nurkic scored key baskets to give the Suns their seventh straight win and improve their record to 8-1.
Durant and Co. are now tied with the OKC Thunder for the best win-loss slate in the Western Conference.
After the game, fans reacted to the Suns’ nail-biting win against Luka Doncic’s team:
“ITS KDs team! Period! Booker is now average at best!! Walking brick nightly”
@TheHurricaneBen declared:
“MVP.”
One fan said:
“Would be nice if our other star could step it up.”
Another fan commented:
“GOTTA CARRY US EVERY GAME TO 81-1.”
@KD50621799 said:
"Give him the ball and gtf out the way."
Devin Booker and Bradley Beal combined for 11-for-30 shooting, including 2-for-15 from deep. When the Phoenix Suns needed a basket, they went to Kevin Durant to bail them out.
Suns coach Mike Budenholzer kept KD on the bench to start the fourth quarter. He inserted the former MVP with 7:39 left and Phoenix trailing 97-94. Beal’s jumper made it 100 apiece before Kyrie Irving scored a floater. Durant responded with a 26-footer to give the visitors a 103-102 lead.
Irving shook American Airlines Center with a 29-foot 3-pointer to answer Durant. Budenholzer did not call a timeout but instructed point guard Tyus Jones to call KD’s number again. The “Slim Reaper” came up clutch again with another triple.
Budenholzer designed a play for Durant with 36 seconds remaining and the score tied 111-111. Durant missed but Jusuf Nurkic grabbed the rebound for a dunk. The Mavericks tied the game with a Daniel Gafford slam off a pass from Luka Doncic.
Nurkic completed his heroics by grabbing another rebound before he was hacked while attempting a shot. He made one of two free throws to help the Suns to the finish line.
Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns are 7-0 in the clutch this season
The NBA defines “clutch” as when teams are not separated by more than five points with less than five minutes left in the game. After Friday’s win against the Dallas Mavericks, Kevin Durant’s Suns are now 7-0 for the season in clutch games. The second-best team is the Denver Nuggets, which hold a 4-2 record.
Durant has been a big reason for the Suns’ impressive clutch record. Leading to the matchup against the Mavericks, he was tied with Nikola Jokic with 29 clutch points. KD could sit atop that list after Friday’s games as the Nuggets are running away from the Miami Heat in Denver.