Suns Get the Call and Clutch 114-113 Win Over Luka Doncic’s Mavs
DALLAS - Kevin Durant has a habit - irritating or engaging, depending on one's view - of inserting himself in an almost endless mountain of social-media silliness. But when he takes the floor over the course of his incredible 18 seasons?
"Silly'' turns into "sublime.'' And the "endless mountain'' is all about shot-making.
The Dallas Mavs played host to KD's Phoenix Suns on Friday at American Airlines Center with a goal of trying to slow the future Hall of Famer, who so often makes being a 30-point scorer look so effortless.
Here, he got his points, his Suns got a last-second 114-113 win and Mavs fans will also argue that Phoenix got a difference-making call in that final second.
“He’s one of the best players in the world,” Mavs coach Jason Kidd said before the early tipoff at the AAC. “Coming off an (Olympic) gold medal and looking at what he’s doing for the Suns coming down the stretch, that’s what he does. ... You just tip your hat if he makes the shot ...''
Or, as another alternative to the smooth 6-11 forward's work? You match him, shot-for-shot, make-for-make, in building a "sublime mountain of your own.
Durant, 36 and a 14-time All-Star, came into the game ranked seventh in the NBA in scoring at 27.8 points per. Here, the former University of Texas star (and Washington D.C. native well-known for hating the NFL's Dallas Cowboys) scored 26.
But the Mavs' counter? Shot-for-shot? Make-for-make?
That's where Dallas' still-developing "Big 3'' comes into play. Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving are also among "the best players in the world.'' And now joined by Golden State Warriors ex Klay Thompson? Dallas figures to have the firepower to survive and thrive in shootouts.
In the end, Doncic and Irving were each good for 30 points as Dallas staged a furious late comeback screwed up when in the final ticks it a) allowed an offensive rebound that the Suns capitalized on and b) absorbed a controversial foul call against Daniel Gafford that sent Jusuf Nurkic on his way to the line needing to make one to break the tie … which he did.
In doing so, they've failed to knock off a powerhouse that at 8-1 has the best record in the West while riding a seven-game win streak.
Meanwhile, the defending West champion Mavs slip to 5-4 as they try to climb their own mountain with a repeat visit to the NBA Finals.
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