Kevin Durant's explosive second half propels Suns past Pistons

Field Level Media|published: Sun 19th January, 01:32 2025

Jan 18, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons forward Tobias Harris (12) defends against Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) during the fourth quarter at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Reginek-Imagn Images

Kevin Durant scored 30 of his 36 points in the second half, Devin Booker supplied 35 points and the Phoenix Suns defeated the host Detroit Pistons 125-121 on Saturday.

Booker notched his fifth consecutive 30-point outing as the Suns won for the fifth time in six games.

Nick Richards, acquired in a trade with the Charlotte Hornets earlier in the week, had 21 points and grabbed 11 rebounds off the bench for Phoenix. Ryan Dunn added 12 points and eight rebounds.

Tobias Harris led the Pistons with 21 points while Cade Cunningham had 20 points and 11 assists.

Jalen Duren notched a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds for Detroit. Malik Beasley had 14 points, Tim Hardaway Jr. added 12 and Marcus Sasser chipped in 11.

The Suns came back to tie the game at 89 in the third quarter behind Durant, who had 21 points in the period. He fired in a 3-pointer and added a three-point play in the final minute of the frame to give Phoenix a 98-95 advantage entering the fourth.

The Pistons took a 109-106 lead with 7:59 left in the game when Beasley nabbed a steal and converted a fastbreak layup. Richards' putback gave Phoenix a 110-109 lead, and the big man's dunk with 4:18 remaining made it 114-111 in favor of the Suns.

Durant drained a 3-pointer for a 117-113 advantage, and Booker later scored in the lane for a 119-115 lead with 2:28 to go.

Following an offensive rebound by Grayson Allen, Durant made a midrange shot for a 121-117 lead with 1:05 left. Hardaway missed 2 of 3 free throws with 21.7 seconds remaining to help the Suns hang on.

Booker scored 23 first-half points, and the Suns went to the locker room clinging to a 61-60 lead.

Booker had 13 points in the opening quarter, and Phoenix led 30-29 after 12 minutes of action. Richards gave the Suns a boost in the second quarter, scoring 10 points on 4-of-4 shooting.

Durant, who was 1-for-9 from the field in the first half, had two baskets early in the third quarter to get back on track.

--Field Level Media