Booker, Durant lead Suns to victory over Rockets
PHOENIX: Devin Booker scored 35 points, Kevin Durant added 24 and the Phoenix Suns held off the Houston Rockets 110-105 on Thursday (Friday in Manila) to open a twogame series.
The teams will meet again in Phoenix on Saturday (Sunday in Manila).
Booker scored 20 points in the first quarter to help give the Suns an 18-point lead they would never relinquish. He has scored at least 20 points in an NBA-hiJusuf Nurkic added 16 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks before fouling out. Bradley Beal missed his fifth straight game because of a hamstring injury.
The Suns took an 86-75 lead into the final quarter. Houston cut the advantage to six midway through the fourth, but Booker responded immediately with a 3-pointer to push the lead back to nine.
That led to a brief skirmish between Booker and Houston’s Cam Whitmore, who both received technical fouls. Nurkic blocked Whitmore twice on the ensuing possession, which drew huge roars from the home crowd.
Tempers stayed hot over the next few minutes — Houston’s
Alperen Sengun fouled out and then got two quick technicals, earning an ejection.
Booker hit both of the technical free throws, Nurkic followed with his two free throws from Sengun’s foul, and that pushed the Suns’ lead to 99-84. The Rockets would cut that lead to four with 16.9 seconds left, but Royce O’Neale hit two free throws to end the threat.
Jalen Green led Houston with 34 points. Fred VanVleet added 21. The Rockets connected on just 11 of 45 3-pointers.
Warriors 110, Knicks 99
In New York, Stephen Curry had 31 points and 11 rebounds, bouncing back from a scoreless first half in his last game with a double-double by the midpoint of this one.
Jonathan Kuminga added 25 points for the Warriors, who extended their road winning streak to seven games, their longest since winning 11 in a row in the 2018-19 season.
The Warriors raced to a 14-0 lead and never trailed, though they were never in control for very long. They opened a series of sizable cushions, but the short-handed Knicks kept getting it back to a workable margin. Golden State wouldn’t let them come all the way back and won for the 10th time in 12 games overall.
Curry was 0 for 7 in the first half of a victory in Washington on Tuesday, the first time he’s been scoreless through two quarters since Nov. 23, 2012. This time he had a 3-pointer to open the scoring and had 17 points and 10 rebounds by the break, the second time in his career he’s had a double-double in the first half.
He finished with eight 3-pointers, while Klay Thompson added 16 points.
Jalen Brunson scored 27 points for the Knicks.
Bucks 111, Hornets 99
In Charlotte, Giannis Antetokounmpo had 24 points and 10 rebounds and Milwaukee beat Charlotte to finish a home-and-home set and sweep the season series.
Malik Beasley added 19 points — hitting five 3-pointers — and Bobby Portis had 14 points and 10 rebounds. The Bucks shot 16 of 39 from beyond the arc to give coach
Doc Rivers his first four-game winning streak with the team.
Brandon Miller led the Hornets with 21 points.
On Tuesday night in Milwaukee, the Bucks beat Charlotte 123-85.
Magic 115, Jazz 107
In Orlando, Jalen Suggs hit three 3-pointers in the final three minutes and finished with 15 points in Orlando’s victory over Utah.
Paolo Banchero, back in the lineup after missing two games due to the flu, had 29 points and nine rebounds for the Magic. They won for the 10th time in 13 games.
John Collins, Keyonte George and Collin Sexton each scored 19 points for Utah. The Jazz have lost two straight and seven of eight.
Nets 124, Hawks 97
In New York, Cam Johnson scored a season high 29 points, hitting a season-high seven 3-pointers in 11 attempts, to help Brooklyn beat Atlanta to open a two-game series.
Fighting for the last play-in spot in the Eastern Conference, the teams will meet again at Barclays Center on Saturday.
Brooklyn improved to 23-36, winning in interim coach Kevin Ollie’s first home game since replacing the fired Jacques Vaughn on February 20. Dejounte Murray led Atlanta with 28 points.