On April 5, Beijing time, the NBA regular season continued, the Suns played the Spurs at home, the Suns established a 31-point lead in the second quarter, resisted the Spurs' counterattack in the second half, and finally defeated the Spurs 115-94.
The Suns are on a six-game winning streak to seal a playoff spot this season. Durant scored 18 points and won all seven games for the Suns. Booker scored 27 points and Paul 22. The Suns are on a nine-game winning streak against the Spurs, who have lost seven of their last eight games.
Statistics
Spurs: Jones 20 points and 9 assists, Mamukrashvili 13, Diop 13, Brannam 21, Champany 10.
Suns: Durant 18 points, Booker 27, Ayton 19 points and 11 rebounds, Paul 22 points, Craig 15 points and 10 rebounds, Biyombo 10 points.
Stars: Booker, Paul
The Suns teamed up at the back court to break the Spurs' defense with a shooting performance without dead ends, leading the Suns to continue their winning streak and secure a playoff spot.
Race tidbits
Durant warms up and shows empty back buckles.
Highlight moments
Durant shot from distance.
Booker drift projectile.
Booker made a steal and a quick attack layup.
Although the Spurs have entered a period of reconstruction, the background of tactical coordination is still there.
Paul shot 3-of-3 from three-point range in the first quarter.
Durant connected with Ayton.
Paul's long-range shot combined with a mid-range shot is casual.
Than Yongbo "eat cakes" freely.
Durant sends chasing big hats.
Craig broke the ball and countered with a slam dunk.
Match Review
The Spurs had six players off due to injury, and the two teams opened up against each other, with Durant and Booker teaming up to score points, and the Suns leading the way to stop the Spurs. After the timeout, the Spurs missed two consecutive shots, Paul hit a three-pointer, Durant assisted Ayton's dunk, and the Suns widened the gap to 10 points. Champany scored five straight points to help the Spurs catch up, Paul hit two consecutive 3-pointers, Durant and Booker fired from mid-range, and Ayton hit the box to extend the lead to 15 points. Chambany hit two more shots to score a double-double in the first quarter, and Booker hit back with back-to-back baskets, extending the gap to 17 points at 42-25 at the end of the first quarter, 42 points for the Suns' first-quarter scoring record of the season. Booker scored 14 points in the first quarter.
At the start of the second quarter, Paul scored another three points, then hit three straight shots to lead the Suns to 19-5, bringing the difference to 31 points. The Spurs struggled to catch up, Ayton first scored a dunk, then rushed to the basket to make it 2+1, and the Suns continued to lead strongly. Jones scored seven straight points to lead the Spurs to a 14-3 run to end the second quarter and chase the score to 51-69 in the first half. Durant, Ayton, Booker and Paul all scored double-doubles in the first half, with Paul scoring 18 points on 4-of-5 three-point shooting on 7-of-8 shooting.
At the start of the second half, the Suns continued to blossom more, with Durant making a three-pointer, Booker hitting a long shot, and Ayton hitting a hook on his back to build a 22-point lead. The Spurs hit five consecutive 3-pointers to close the gap to nine to stop the Suns. After the timeout, Booker scored for a basket, Ayton received a pass from Booker for a layup, Durant first blocked Wesley's shot, then stepped back to make a free throw, Booker added another 3-pointer, and the Suns responded to the Spurs' wave of 16-4, leading the Spurs by 21 points at 97-76 into the fourth quarter.
The fourth quarter kicked off, and the Spurs went on a 9-2 run to close the gap to 14 points. Craig scored three consecutive basket shots as the Suns steadied the 20-point lead to stop the Spurs. After the timeout, the two teams alternated scoring, and with 3:07 left in the end, Durant made two fouls and made both free throws to give the Suns a 19-point lead. The Suns replaced the main team and dealt with the final three minutes as a substitute, and the Suns played steadily to win the game.
Both sides start
Spurs: Mamukrashvili, Diop, Graham, Brannam, Jones
Suns: Ayton, Durant, Okogie, Booker, Paul