THE Phoenix Suns earned its third straight victory in as many games, beating the San Antonio Spurs 131-106 at Frost Bank Center on Saturday. Devin Booker and Kevin Durant combined for 57 points as the Suns remained in playoff contention without needing to go through the play-in tournament.
After improving to 42-29 with the blowout win over the Spurs, Phoenix is sixth, ahead of the Sacramento Kings and Dallas Mavericks. Durant finished his night with 25 points, four rebounds and four assists.
Booker, meanwhile, had a game-high 32 points, seven rebounds and nine assists. Bradley Beal had a double-double with 13 points and 12 assists. The Spurs, meanwhile, had no notable contributions, save for Victor Wembanyama (13 points) and Keldon Johnson (14 points) as Phoenix notched a solid victory.
•
Phoenix Suns Playoff Photo: Updated Standings
Saturday’s victory propels the Suns (42-29) ahead of two playoff contenders, the Kings (41-29) and the Mavericks (41-29).
Sacramento moved up a level after its 109-107 victory against the Orlando Magic. The Suns have a chance to stay sixth, as they have another game against San Antonio coming up.
The real challenge begins soon after, when they face a series of top players from the Western Conference, starting with the defending champions. Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena on March 27.
Phoenix Suns playoff photo: Remaining games
The Suns play four more road games – all on the West Coast. They will face the Spurs again at Frost Bank Center on March 25, the Nuggets on March 27 and the OKC Thunder on March 29 before facing the New Orleans Pelicans on April 1.
That will be followed by a four-game homestand. They finish their last three games on the road. with one of them coming against the Kings at Golden 1 Center.
Their current form makes the Phoenix Suns the favorites to avoid the play-in. With the acquisition of Beal last summer, Phoenix was favored to win the championship, but their campaign was derailed early following injuries to Booker and Beal.
Now that the trio is taking the floor regularly, the team has enough games to build cohesion and chemistry as they prepare for a grueling playoff run. Only time will tell if their journey will unfold like a sine wave, as they play a series of tough matches for the rest of March.
