On January 1, Beijing time, in the 2023-24 NBA regular season, the Suns defeated the Magic 112-107 to win three consecutive victories. In this game, Durant, Beal and Booker combined for 77 points.
Statistics
Suns: Durant 31 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals, Booker 21 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals, Beal 25 points and 2 assists, Nurkic 19 points, 13 rebounds and 3 assists, Allen 10 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals;
Magic: Banchero 28 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists, Wagner 27 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists, Anthony 13 points and 5 rebounds, Wendell Carter 17 points and 5 rebounds;
Background
Prior to this game, the Magic had a 19-12 regular season record and the Suns had a 16-15 regular season record. In the last two games, the Suns defeated the Rockets and Hornets one after another to win two consecutive wins in the regular season. During this period, Durant scored double-doubles in assists, finishing with 27 points, 10 rebounds and 16 assists against the Rockets and 21 points, 4 rebounds, 11 assists and 3 blocks against the Hornets. Beal returned against the Hornets and finished with six points, three rebounds and seven assists. At this point in this matchup, Wendell Carter and Harris ushered in a comeback.
Match replays
At the beginning of the first quarter, Banchero and Durant scored against Biao through jumpers, and when Banchero singled out Durant to score 2+1, the Magic 9-7. In the following period, Beal carried the banner of the Suns' offense, and continued to score points through mid-to-long-range jumpers and breakthrough layups, leading the team to a wave of 11-0. Bitadze hit a hook shot to stop the bleeding for the Magic, and Banchero immediately scored points inside and outside to lead the team to plot a counterattack, but the Suns also continued to score points led by Nurkic, Beal, and Booker, and when Booker hit a three-pointer, the Suns were 35-19. At the end of the quarter, the Magic instigated a new round of counterattack to slightly close the score. At the end of the first quarter, the Suns were 37-24.
At the beginning of the second quarter, the Magic hit a three-pointer in the opening stage to take the lead in a wave of 8-2, further closing the score. Immediately afterwards, the two sides alternated points through free throws, mid-to-long-range jumpers, and interior ball-holding offense, and when Booker held the ball and made it 2+1, the Suns had a 10-point advantage. Then, Wendell Carter scored points from outside and inside to rate the Magic to a wave of scoring small climaxes, closing the deficit to 5 points. The Suns quickly responded to the opponent, Beal and Booker hit shots successively and Nurkic reached 2+1, and the Suns successfully stabilized the situation on the court. At the end of the quarter, Wagner made 2 fouls and made 2 free throws. At halftime, the Suns were 67-58.
Yibian fought again, and the Magic scored 4 points in a row at the beginning, but the Suns' Big Three shot successively to lead the team to a wave of 12-2. The Magic didn't stop there, scoring back-to-back points with jumpers and counter-attacks, and when Wagner hit a three-pointer, the Magic trailed by nine points at 72-81. In the following period, the two sides scored points through jumpers, free throws and counter-attacking layups, and when Banchero and Anthony hit three-pointers, the Magic closed the deficit to 3 points. Immediately afterward, the Suns tried to stabilize the situation, but the Magic continued their hot hand from the outside with Wendell Carter hitting another three-pointer and Banchero hitting a layup, and the Magic chased the score to 87-87. At the end of the quarter, Beal hit a buzzer-beating shot. At the end of the third quarter, the Suns held a two-point advantage.
In the final quarter of the battle, Durant singled out Wagner and hit a jumper, and the Magic immediately burst inside and outside to score a wave of scoring climaxes, and when Harris hit a three-pointer, the Magic turned the situation around and surpassed by 1 point. The Suns responded quickly, with Beal, Durant and Nurkic each shooting to score points. Immediately after, the Magic closed the score again, Durant hit a three-pointer and Beal hit a pointer, and when Nurkic hit a hook shot, the Suns were 112-102. In the closing stages, the Magic instigated a final counterattack, and the Suns managed to hold on to the win. In the end, the Suns defeated the Magic to win three in a row.
Both sides start
Suns: Durant, Booker, Beal, Nurkic, Allen;
Magic: Banchero, Suggs, Bitadze, Wagner, Black;