PHOENIX -- The Phoenix Suns are hot after winning three straight matchups to keep their play-in tournament hopes alive, and much of the thanks can be attributed to star Kevin Durant.
Durant poured in 42 points on 17-29 shooting to pair with six rebounds and eight assists in last night's win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Phoenix is now 34-37 on the season with possession of the West's 10th seed.
With the outing, Durant became just the fourth player in NBA history to register multiple 40-point games in their 17th season or later, joining LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
List of players in @NBA History with multiple 40-PT games in their 17th season or later:
▪️ Kevin Durant
▪️ LeBron James
▪️ Kobe Bryant
▪️ Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
(h/t @StatMamba) pic.twitter.com/Q5HEWKOw6l
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) March 22, 2025
After the win over Cleveland, Durant spoke on what the victory meant for the Suns:
"I mean, this is the best team in the league, record-wise; they clinched the playoffs a week ago. So, we know how dominant they been all season, and we were locked in since yesterday on a game plan and trying to come out here and play our best game tonight. So excited about the win," Durant said.
"Especially around this time of year, it's important to get big wins and to have some good momentum. I like the style of play that we had the last few games on both ends of the floor. So, we've been building on that. And coach (Mike Budenholzer) has been coaching us up pretty well and practicing on those schemes that we've been working on the last few games, and we just get better at that.
"So, we keep grinding, man, like I've been saying. I mean, it is late in the season. We only have a handful of games left, but those are the most important games and I'm looking forward to playing.”
Durant, who clocked his 15th NBA All-Star nod this season, is averaging 26.6 points per night on 52.8% shooting with 6.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists.