Durant has 30 points, Suns beat Nuggets for 4th straight win

PHOENIX (AP)— The Phoenix Suns are starting to string together some wins nowthat Kevin Durant is healthy.

Even so,they’re far from a well-oiled machine.

Durant scored30 points, Devin Booker added 27 and the Suns won their fourthstraight game by beating the short-handed Denver Nuggets 100-93 onFriday night.

The Sunsimproved to 5-0 with Durant in the lineup despite nearly blowing a27-point lead. Phoenix traded for the 13-time All-Star in adeadline deal back in February.

“I like howwe played in the first half, but it was a bad second half for us,”Durant said. “We just let our foot off the gas a little and theywere playing extremely hard. ... We’ve just got to do a better jobof sticking with it.”

The Nuggetsrested a big chunk of their starting lineup, including reigning MVPNikola Jokic, guards Jamal Murray and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope andforward Michael Porter Jr. But they still showed fight aftertrailing 60-40 at halftime.

“I amimmensely proud,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “You are down27 points on the road, second half, second night in a row. Everyreason just to roll over and play dead and get ready for Sunday athome. Guys just wouldn’t do it.”

The Sunspushed their advantage to 27 midway through the third quarter, butthe Nuggets pulled to 84-74 heading into the fourth quarter. Denvercut it to 97-93 in the final minute, but Josh Okogie nailed acorner 3 to seal it for the Suns. Okogie had 14 points on 5-of-8shooting, including four 3-pointers, and Chris Paul had 13assists.

Aaron Gordonhad 26 points, nine rebounds and six assists to lead the Nuggets.Bruce Brown scored 16 points and Reggie Jackson had 13. Theovermatched but feisty Nuggets got 22 points from the bench.

“It was ourenergy and our effort,” backup guard Peyton Watson said. “We knowwe were missing guys but that doesn’t change the culture here. Wealways want to play hard, get stops.”

Durant shot11 of 15 from the field in a dominant performance two days after arough shooting night in his home debut against Minnesota. The34-year-old star has battled knee and ankle injuries over the pastfew months, but appears to be getting healthy as the Suns continueto cling to the No. 4 spot in the Western Conference playoffrace.

The Sunsscored just 16 points in the fourth quarter on Friday, but managedto hang on for the victory.

“We’re tryingto find that rhythm and trying to get wins at the same time,”Booker said.

KD ONCLARK

Part of theSuns’ postgame chatter in the locker room had nothing to do withbeating the Nuggets. Instead, Durant and Paul were discussing howgood Caitlin Clark’s been for Iowa in the women’s NCAATournament.

Clarkscored 41 points on Friday night tolead the Hawkeyesover top-ranked South Carolina77-73.

“Incrediblerun that she’s on,” Durant said. “She’s playing phenomenalbasketball, her team is rallying around her, so it’s going to be agood championship game.”

TIP-INS

Nuggets: IshSmith shot just 1 of 10 from the field. ... DeAndre Jordan had 12rebounds.

Suns: Hosteda 64th straight sellout crowd. ... Bismack Biyombo blocked threeshots.

UPNEXT

Nuggets: HostGolden State on Sunday night.

Suns: AtOklahoma City on Sunday night.