Devin Booker and Kevin Durant combined for 57 points to lead the Phoenix Suns to a 120-113 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday night. The win improved the Suns’ record to 19-19 and marked their third consecutive victory.
Charlotte, now 8-28, kept the game close throughout and entered the fourth quarter with a 98-93 lead. LaMelo Ball led the Hornets with 25 points, while Mark Williams added a season-high 24 points and 16 rebounds, including 22 points in the first half.
Phoenix rallied in the final minutes behind Durant’s late-game heroics. Durant hit a stepback jumper to put the Suns ahead 111-110 with just over three minutes remaining. Moments later, he assisted rookie Oso Ighodaro on a key dunk, giving Phoenix a 115-113 advantage.
Royce O’Neale sealed the game for the Suns with a clutch three-pointer, pushing the lead to 118-113 with 41.5 seconds left. O’Neale finished with nine points off the bench, including two three-pointers.
The Suns relied on balanced contributions, with Booker tallying 30 points on 10-of-20 shooting and Durant adding 27 points and eight rebounds. Grayson Allen scored 13 points in the first half before exiting with left knee soreness.
Phoenix’s bench stepped up in the second half. Ighodaro scored eight of his 10 points in the final quarter, giving the Suns much-needed interior scoring. Bradley Beal also contributed 15 points and six assists in his 35 minutes on the court.
Charlotte controlled much of the game but faltered down the stretch with questionable shot selection and turnovers. Despite Ball’s 11 assists and Williams’ dominant presence in the paint, the Hornets couldn’t find a way to close out the Suns for the second time in a week.
The Suns shot 48.3% from the field, including 41.5% from beyond the arc, and converted 86.4% of their free throws. Charlotte finished with a shooting percentage of 44.6% and hit 37.5% of their three-point attempts.