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The Phoenix Suns struggled to play at their best but managed to squeeze a crucial win against a short-handed Denver Nuggets side in a 119-115 victory on Thursday night.
Kevin Durant led the way for Phoenix with 29 points on the way to a 119-115 victory over the Denver Nuggets.
Durant dominates for Suns
Durant's ability to make even the most difficult shots look easy as well as being efficient on the defensive end will be vital as the Suns head into the postseason.
Veteran guard Chris Paul was also in hand to remind everyone of his greatness and enduring importance to the Suns, draining a career-high 7 threes to finish with 25 points.
Deandre Ayton contributed with 16 points, while Devin Brooker added another 15 despite missing 9 out of his 12 shots on a bad shooting night for the All-Star.
Denver approached the game in relaxed fashion, resting four of their five starters with the first seed already secured.
Without MVP candidate Nikola Jokic, Bruce Brown led the way for Denver scoring 31 points.
Denver were without Nikola Jokic, Aaron Gordon, Michael Porter Jr, Jamal Murray and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
“We’re just trying to be smart about managing those injuries as we move forward,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said before the game.
"Speaking to the players individually and speaking to our training staff, having played 79-80 games to this point, those guys have been dealing with these injuries for a while. We want to be smart about what kind of positions we put them in.”
As a result of New Orleans' victory over Memphis on Wednesday, the Nuggets have already clinched the No. 1 position in the Western Conference.
As for the Suns, they are currently the No.4 seed, which guarantees them an automatic playoff spot.
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