The Phoenix Suns were finally back to full strength on Tuesday night.
The Suns, with both stars Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal back on the court after their respective calf injuries, flew ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers. They earned a 127-100 victory at the Footprint Center in Phoenix and handed the Lakers their first ever loss in the NBA Cup.
The Suns have struggled lately without both Durant and Beal available. Durant missed the Suns’ last seven games due to a calf injury, and Beal missed five straight games due to his calf injury. The team went just 1-6 with Durant out, and they lost five straight games with both guys out of the lineup.
But on Tuesday night, thanks to a huge 22-6 run to close the third quarter, powered largely by Jusuf Nurkic, the Suns had no problem coasting to a 27-point win. That third-quarter push suddenly had the Suns up by 20 points entering the fourth quarter.
Durant had 23 points and six rebounds for the Suns in the win. He also shot 9-of-17 from the field. Beal finished with 23 points and shot 10-of-15 from the field. He chased down LeBron James for a wild block off the backboard in the fourth quarter, leaving James incredibly slow to get back to the other side of the court.
Devin Booker led the Suns with 26 points and 10 assists, and Nurkic added 12 points and 12 rebounds. As a team, they also shot 51.5% from the field.
Anthony Davis led the Lakers with 25 points and 15 rebounds in the loss, dropping them to 10-7 on the season. James finished just short of a triple-double with 18 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds.
The Suns and Lakers are now tied 2-1 in group play with one game remaining. The Lakers, who won the first version of the event last year, close the opening round on Friday with a match against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Suns host the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday. While the Suns hold a slight lead in the standings, the bracket is still up for grabs heading into the final match.
Bucks survive without Giannis
Giannis Antetokounmpo showed up late for the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night and it seemed to catch everyone — including coach Doc Rivers — by surprise.
Antetokounmpo was ruled out of their 106-103 win against the Miami Heat shortly before tipoff at the Kaseya Center due to a knee issue. He went through shootaround and his pregame routine normally, but then he felt discomfort in his knee. He was considered likely in the build-up to the match as he recovered from a calf injury.
Despite taking a 20-point lead in the third quarter, the Heat rallied back to make it a one-possession game in the final minutes. They also held the Bucks without a field goal in the final two minutes of the game. But a late Tyler Herro bucket was off the mark in the final few seconds, allowing the Bucks to sneak out with the three-point victory.
Damian Lillard led the way for Milwaukee after a stellar first-half performance. He dropped in 25 of his 37 points in the first 24 minutes and finished with 12 assists and eight 3-pointers. Brook Lopez finished with 13 points, and Bobby Portis added 11 off the bench.
Jimmy Butler led the Heat with 23 points and five assists. Herro finished with 18 points and Terry Rozier added 17 points. The Heat are now 7-8 on the season and 1-2 in NBA Cup play.
Antetokounmpo has averaged 32.4 points and 11.9 rebounds for his career while shooting nearly 61% from the field. Tuesday’s win is the second game he has missed this season. While the Bucks got away without him on Tuesday, marking the team’s fifth straight win and keeping them undefeated in Group B, they need him if they want to make a legitimate run in the knockout stages of the NBA Cup.
Missiles achieve a knockout around the mooring
The Rockets had almost a perfect chance to clinch a spot in the knockout round on Tuesday night.
But thanks to a late defensive stand and a wild layup from Alperen Sengun, the Rockets are now officially the second team to exit the group stage.
The Rockets defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 117-111 in overtime at the Target Center on Tuesday. Despite letting a 17-point lead slip in the second half, Houston held Minnesota scoreless for the final 3:12 of regulation and then jumped ahead in overtime to take the victory. Sengun also helped seal that win with a ridiculous put-back layup midway through the period, giving them the six-point victory.
The Rockets were the only team with a chance to qualify on Tuesday. The Golden State Warriors had already secured a spot in the knockout round and the New Orleans Pelicans were officially eliminated on Friday. The Timberwolves are now 1-2 in the pool.
The Wizards were officially eliminated after falling 127-108 to the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday night. The Wizards went 0-3 in the NBA Cup game. The Jazz were also eliminated after falling 128-115 to the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs also have a 2-1 record in Group B with the Lakers and Suns.
The Bucks’ win over the Heat also effectively eliminated the Toronto Raptors from the knockout stages. The Raptors did not play on Tuesday, but were 0-2 in the NBA Cup game and are now officially out of reach.
