The Phoenix Suns were finally back at full strength on Tuesday night.
The Suns, with both stars Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal back on the court from calf injuries, flew ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers. They won 127:100 at the Footprint Center in Phoenix and the Lakers suffered their first ever loss in the NBA Cup.
The Suns have struggled lately without both Durant and Beal. Durant has missed the Suns’ last seven games with a calf strain and Beal has missed five straight with a calf injury. The team went just 1-6 with Durant and lost five in a row with both guys out of the lineup.
But on Tuesday night, thanks to a huge 22-6 run to close the third quarter, fueled in large part by Jusuf Nurkic, the Suns had no problem cruising to a 27-point victory. That third-quarter push caused the Suns to enter the fourth quarter suddenly down by 20 points.
Durant had 23 points and six rebounds for the Suns. He also shot 9-17 from the field. Beal finished with 23 points and shot 10 of 15 from the field. In the fourth quarter, he chased down LeBron James for a wild block off the backboard that made James incredibly slow to get back down the court.
Devin Booker led the Suns with 26 points and 10 assists, and Nurkic added 12 points and 12 rebounds. They shot 51.5% from the field as a team.
Anthony Davis led the Lakers with 25 points and 15 rebounds in the loss, which dropped 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 2-1 in the group with one game remaining. The Lakers, who won the inaugural version of the event last year, will wrap up the opening round with a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday. The Suns will host the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday. While the Suns hold a slight lead in the standings, the group is still very much set to advance to the final game.
Bucks will survive without Giannis
Giannis Antetokounmpo was a late scratch for the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night and seemed to surprise everyone — including coach Doc Rivers.
Antetokounmpo was ruled out of the 106-103 win against the Miami Heat shortly before tipoff at the Kaseya Center with a knee problem. He went through shootaround and the pregame routine normally, but then felt discomfort in his knee. He was considered probable leading up to the bout as he recovered from a calf strain.
Despite building a 20-point lead in the third quarter, the Heat rallied and made it a one-possession game in the final minutes. Even in the last two minutes of the game, they held the Bucks without a field goal. But Tyler Herr’s late bucket was off the mark in the final few seconds, allowing the Bucks to escape with a 3-point lead.
Damian Lillard led the way for Milwaukee after a huge first half performance. He dropped 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 the NBA Cup.
Antetokounmpo is averaging a career-high 32.4 points and 11.9 rebounds while shooting nearly 61% from the field. Tuesday’s win marks the second game he has missed this season. While the Bucks won without him on Tuesday, marking the team’s fifth straight win and keeping them unbeaten in Group B, they will need him available if they are to make a legitimate run into the knockout stages. NBA Cup.
Missiles secure the knockout round bed
The Rockets nearly squandered a great opportunity to clinch a spot in the playoffs on Tuesday night.
But thanks to late defense and a wild layup from Alperen Sengun, the Rockets are officially the second team out of the group stage.
The Rockets defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 117-111 in overtime on Tuesday at the Target Center. Despite letting a 17-point lead slip away in the second half, Houston held Minnesota scoreless for the final 3:12 of regulation before jumping ahead in overtime to claim the victory. Sengun also helped to achieve this victory with a ridiculous half-time switch, which they used to score six points.
The Rockets were the only team with a chance to win on Tuesday. The Golden State Warriors have already secured a spot in the playoffs, and the New Orleans Pelicans were officially eliminated on Friday. The Timberwolves are now 1-2 in the game.
The Wizards were officially eliminated after falling to the Chicago Bulls 127-108 on Tuesday night. The Wizards finished 0-3 in the NBA Cup. The Jazz were also eliminated, falling to the San Antonio Spurs 128-115. The Spurs also hold a 2-1 record in Group B with the Lakers and Suns.
The Bucks’ win over the Heat actually knocked the Toronto Raptors out of the playoffs. The Raptors didn’t play on Tuesday, but they went 0-2 in the NBA Cup game and are now officially out of reach.