Kevin Durant scores 35, Grayson Allen adds 26 and the Suns beat the Raptors 120-113
By David Brandt, The Associated Press on March 7, 2024.
PHOENIX (AP) – Kevin Durant scored 35 points, Grayson Allen added 26 and the Phoenix Suns beat the Toronto Raptors 120-113 on Thursday night. Bradley Beal had 20 points and eight assists for the Suns, who never trailed. Durant shot 11 of 19 from the field while Allen did all of his scoring in the first half, setting a franchise record with seven 3-pointers in the first quarter. Gary Trent Jr. led Toronto with 30 points. Immanuel Quickley added 21 points and 17 assists, while RJ Barrett scored 23. The Suns – playing without injured All-Star guard Devin Booker – led by 14 at halftime. The Raptors cut that margin to 89-82 entering the fourth and pulled within 96-93 with 7:59 left, but Phoenix’s Bol Bol responded with a bucket and the Raptors never got closer. Bol finished with 11 points and eight rebounds in 16 minutes. The Suns have won 10 of their past 12 at home. Allen made seven 3-pointers in the first quarter, missing his first attempt before nailing seven in a row in the span of about seven minutes. His 21 points helped push the Suns to a 39-25 lead. Phoenix took a 67-53 lead into halftime. The Suns – who came into the game as the No. 6 team in the Western Conference – are fighting to stay out of the play-in tournament. The top six seeds in each conference automatically advance to the opening round. Toronto was without All-Star Scottie Barnes, who recently had surgery on his fractured hand. UP NEXT Raptors: At Portland on Saturday. Suns: Host Boston on Saturday. ___ AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba 15-14
