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Kevin Durant Delivers Masterclass in Controversial Suns Win – 3 Takeaways as Phoenix Save Face in Wild Ending vs Jazz

Published 11/19/2023, 11:52 PM EST

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The Phoenix Suns announced their presence in the league once again with a close victory over the Utah Jazz on Sunday. After a shaky start to the season troubled with injuries, the Suns produced a 3-game winning streak after Devin Booker’s return. However, it was Kevin Durant, who turned the tides for the Valley side with his clutch play. He led the team to a 140-137 victory in a double-overtime thriller at Salt Lake City, dropping 3-pointers at an important juncture.

Let’s find out three key takeaways from the exciting contest.

1. The Kevin Durant foul call. Correct or not?

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The Suns led the game by 3 points and the Jazz had possession of the ball with less than a second in the game. The Jazz’s franchise leader, Lauri Markkanen, took a shot from beyond the arc with 0.9 seconds on the clock. Kevin Durant jumped in to block the shot and made contact. Eventually, the refs called the foul. However, KD seemed disappointed with the call and asked for a review. After taking a decent time to review the play, the refs overturned the call, leaving the Jazz fans frustrated. Nevertheless, the replays showed that some parts of KD’s fingers brushed Markkanen’s hand in the process.

2. Jazz go toe to toe with Suns duo

Kevin Durant came out the star of the night, dropping 39 points in his 40-minute play. The 2x NBA Champ went viral on social media for dropping clutch 3-pointers even under heavily protected defense. Along with him, the Suns’ prodigal son, Devin Booker also showed his class with 26 points and 8 assists. At the same time, the Jazz wasn’t taking it easy from their end.

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Along with Markkanen’s 38 points, Jordan Clarkson and Talen Horton-Tucker dropped 22 and 25 points respectively taking the game down till second overtime. Notably, if not for the controversial call at the end, the Jazz would have taken the game down to 3rd overtime.

3. Yuta Watanabe’s injury could be costly for the Suns

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Ahead of the 2023-24 regular season, experts criticized the Suns for not having depth in their lineup. It did carry forward from the previous season where the team heavily relied on KD and D-Book for offense. In this season, the team will at least miss the star guard Bradley Beal for three weeks. On top of it, the team also lost the 6’9 Yuta Watanabe as he is currently dealing with a quad injury. The star’s return is still unclear. Until then, the Suns are in deep trouble.

Read More – LeBron James Testifies to Kevin Durant’s Greatness After Edging Past Slim Reaper Twice

As of now, the Suns seem to be in a comfortable position with KD and Booker’s brilliance. The question is, how long will the team only depend on them? They face a weaker Trail Blazers side in their next encounter and will look to carry their streak forward.

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Watch This Story – Kevin Garnett Drops Potential Bombshell on Why Lebron James’ Minutes Restrictions Was Removed vs Suns

How exciting was the double overtime game between the Suns and Jazz? Let us know in the comments below.

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Written by:

Shahul Hameed

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Shahul Hameed is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports, where he brings his passion for sports and entertainment journalism to life. With a Master's Degree in journalism from a reputed institute and years of experience in the industry, Shahul always strives to provide insightful and astute coverage of the NBA to the fans. Shahul's love for sports writing dates back to his college days.
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Edited by:

Sameen Nawathe