The Phoenix Suns improved to 8-1 on the season, extending their win streak to seven games. 7-0 in the clutch. Top seed in the West.

It was another strong start for Phoenix, but the second half had us all worried. The Suns apparently only know how to play in clutch games this season.

Devin Booker on the Suns’ 8-1 start: “We’ve only scratched the surface. I don’t think we’ve had a clean game yet.” It was a tough night on the court for Devin as he battled an illness, but he still recorded 12 assists.

The Suns’ bench outscored the Mavs’ bench 28-9 and Jusuf Nurkic gave them strong minutes to close out the game. Phoenix turned it over just nine times in the narrow victory. These aren’t last year’s Phoenix Suns.

Main artists

• Kevin Durant — 26 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 8-14 FG, 37 minutes
• Devin Boeker — 13 points, 12 assists, 6 rebounds, 5-13 FG, 35 minutes
• Tyus Jones — 17 points, 5 assists, 2 rebounds, 7-13 FG, 31 minutes
• Jusuf Nurkic – 15 points, 10 rebounds, 6-12 FG, 34 minutes
• Luka Doncic — 30 ​​points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, 11-25 FG, 42 minutes
• Kyrie Irving — 29 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 10-17 FG, 41 minutes

1st half

Jusuf Nurkic picked up where he left off the previous game, drilling two threes with confidence to open the match. Phoenix got off to a strong start with a 17-13 lead with just under 6 minutes left in the quarter.

Dallas fought back and took a one-point lead before a three over the break from Royce O’Neale on a Devin Booker dime.

The ball movement was sharp early from Phoenix, with 6 assists on their first 8 field goals made. The extra pass was made on multiple efforts, leading to a clean look. A three-point barrage from the Suns led to a Dallas timeout with Phoenix leading 31-22.

Phoenix took a 36-26 lead in the second quarter. It was a balanced attack from the entire team.

The second quarter continued with the torrid pace of the game, with each team pushing the ball wherever possible. Josh Okogie made his season debut in dramatic fashion with a poster dunk for his first two points of the season. With Ryan Dunn sidelined, Okogie made his debut.

Phoenix and Dallas traded blows in a back-and-forth second quarter. Phoenix outscored Dallas 27-24 in the quarter and Luka Doncic survived a life-threatening elbow to the face. *cough FLOP *cough

Phoenix took a 63-50 lead at halftime. The Suns made ten threes in the first half.

Suns leaders: Booker: 11 points, O’Neale: 11 points, Jones: 10 points, Durant: 9 points.

Second half

Dallas opened the third quarter on a 15-2 run to tie the game at 65. Dallas simply hit everything and the Phoenix offense briefly stalled.

The Mavs stole the momentum in the third. Kevin Durant got in Nurkic’s ear after a few rough possessions and a technical foul from the big man, then had an impressive “and-one” at the other end on the next play.

Tyus Jones hit a big triple to somewhat restore the lead. The Suns had seven fouls in nine minutes in the third quarter. It was brutal to watch so many stops turn into action and it resulted in a choppy series of possessions.

Heading into the final period, Phoenix maintained a four-point lead, 87-83.

Dallas scored the first 4 points of the quarter to put it at 87 points apiece. A 14-4 Mavericks run to open the quarter gave them a six-point lead. That led to a timeout for Mike Budenholzer.

Phoenix quickly responded with a 7-0 run to regain the lead. Kyrie Irving got hot and took over late to give Dallas a four-point lead. Durant answered with a pair of big threes in “clutch time.” We had a duel between the former teammates.

A clutch three from Royce O’Neale tied the game at 109 with just over 2 minutes remaining.

The closing moments of the game were cinematic.

It ended with Jusuf Nurkic hitting a game-winning free throw after missing the first of two attempts.

Next?

Suns vs. Kings at the Footprint Center

Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images