Kevin Durant pours in 39 as Suns edge Jazz in 2OT thriller

Kevin Durant scored 39 points and took over during a decisive stretch of the second overtime session to lift the Phoenix Suns to a thrilling 140-137 win over the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City on Sunday, November 19 (Monday, November 20, Manila time).

Devin Booker added 26 points, including a pair of free throws in the final second of the second OT, and dished out 8 assists as the Suns won for the second time in Utah in three nights.

Lauri Markkanen had a monster game for the Jazz, scoring 38 points with 17 rebounds. He forced overtime with a bucket late in regulation.

For a moment, it appeared that Markkanen would get a chance to force triple overtime.

Phoenix held a three-point lead in the final second – after Booker’s free throws with 0.9 left – when Durant was called for fouling Markkanen in the act of shooting a corner three. After a lengthy review, the officials reversed the ruling because they deemed that Durant hit the ball before smacking Markkanen’s wrist.

Eric Gordon scored 20 with 6 assists and 5 rebounds, while Jusuf Nurkic totaled 18 points with 12 rebounds. Durant chipped in 10 assists and 8 rebounds as Phoenix won its third straight game.

Grayson Allen hit a key three-pointer with less than a minute remaining in the second OT and finished with 14 points against his former team.

Talen Horton-Tucker scored 25 off the bench, Jordan Clarkson scored 22 points with 7 rebounds and 5 assists, and John Collins had 15 points and 12 rebounds.

Collin Sexton added 18 points in a reserve role for Utah, including a game-tying putback at the buzzer of the first overtime.

Durant scored 8 quick points for Phoenix in the second overtime for a 135-130 Phoenix lead. But Utah tied it again after a Markkanen jumper and a Collins three-pointer with just under a minute remaining in the second OT.

Gordon split a pair of free throws with 7.6 seconds to go and the Jazz forced a second overtime when Sexton grabbed a missed layup by George and lofted it up and in the basket at the buzzer.

The Suns led by as many as 11 points in the first half, only to see the Jazz storm back to take a 103-95 lead before Phoenix made a comeback. – Rappler.com