Devin Booker poured in 32 points and Kevin Durant added 25 in just three quarters played as the visiting Phoenix Suns dismantled the San Antonio Spurs, 131-106 on Saturday.
It was the first of a two-game set between the teams over three nights in Texas as well as the first of a five-game road trip for the Suns.
Phoenix shot 61.6 percent from the floor through the first three quarters, eclipsing the 100-point mark in the final seconds of the third period, sending Booker and Durant to the bench for the final 12 minutes.
The Suns have won three straight games.
The Suns (42-29) are in a virtual deadlock with Dallas for sixth place in the Western Conference with 11 games to play but would lose the tiebreaker to the Mavericks if the teams are tied. Phoenix has the toughest remaining schedule in the West, facing 10 consecutive playoff-bound teams after Monday’s game against the hapless Spurs.
Bradley Beal added 13 points and 12 assists for Phoenix, with Bol Bol scoring 13, Eric Gordon tallying 12 and Drew Eubanks hitting for 10 points. Jusuf Nurkic took 10 rebounds for Phoenix.
Keldon Johnson led the Spurs (15-56) with 14 points while Victor Wembanyama had 13, Blake Wesley scored 12, Zach Collins racked up 11 and Tre Jones had 10 points.
The Suns led from the jump, using an 8-0 run capped by a layup by Grayson Allen at the 5:46 mark of the first quarter to turn a one-point advantage into a 17-8 margin. Allen had another layup with 2:14 to play in the period to stoke the Phoenix lead to 24-12 and the Suns owned a nine-point lead after 12 minutes of play.
Durant’s jumper with 4:12 to play in the second quarter made it 49-31 and Gordon’s 3-pointer with 1:03 left expanded the Suns’ margin to 20 points. Jones hit a running jumper at the buzzer to allow San Antonio to pare its deficit to 65-47 at the break.
Durant (17 points) and Booker (16) led the Phoenix attack before halftime. Wembanyama’s 11 points paced the Spurs in the half.
The Suns did all the damage they would need to in the third quarter as they expanded their lead to as many as 32 points and carried 103-71 edge into the final period.
–Field Level Media