The Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks have quite the rivalry going these days, and the additions of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving to these respective teams only makes things even more intense. Sunday brought an epic matinee affair between these two squads, with the Suns coming out on top against the Mavs courtesy of a Durant game-winner and two clutch free throws in the final minute.
There was a whole lot of action in the final minute. After Durant put the Suns ahead up two with that tough jumper, Luka Doncic had a golden opportunity to tie the game in the final seconds. Unfortunately, Doncic smoked the floater.
After Doncic's miss, he and Devin Booker got into it after Booker said something.
Durant calmly knocked down two free throws to seal the game after the dust settled, with Doncic and Booker both getting technicals after their brouhaha. There was a little more drama with the officials as the game ended, but nothing that affected the outcome.
The Suns' 130-126 win moves them to 36-29 on the season and 3-0 with Kevin Durant in the lineup to place them fourth in the Western Conference. KD poured in a game-high 37 points, while Booker put up 36 points. Doncic and Irving had big games as well, with Luka going for 34 points and Irving scoring 30 points. Doncic struggled with his shot, though, going just 8-of-23 from the field and missing the most important shot at the end.
The Mavs dropped to 33-32 with this loss, which has them in seventh in the West. It has been more of a struggle for them with Irving and Doncic together, but they're obviously still very dangerous. It would be a lot of fun to see these two teams go at it in the playoffs again, especially with Durant and Kyrie involved after what happened last season. In case you forgot, the Mavs embarrassed the Suns in Game 7 of the Western Conference Semifinals in Phoenix.