The Phoenix Suns were unexpectedly eliminated in the first round of last season’s playoffs by the Minnesota Timberwolves, which led to the firing of coach Frank Vogel.
Now, more than six months later, the Suns have started strong under new coach Mike Budenholzer, winning five straight games heading into Wednesday’s matchup with the Miami Heat.
Phoenix secured its sixth win in seven games this season by coming back from a nine-point deficit, closing the game with a 14-3 run to defeat the Philadelphia 76ers 118-116 on Monday. Kevin Durant scored the winning points with a layup with 24 seconds remaining.
“It shows in that fourth quarter that if we stick to what we do, we’ll come out with the ‘W,’” Durant said.
Durant finished the game with 35 points, including 15 in the fourth quarter. He made 14 of his 20 field-goal attempts.
There had been some talk that Durant didn’t fully connect with the fired coach Vogel, but things seem to be different with Budenholzer in charge. Durant mentioned seeing improvements in areas like attention to detail.
“This is incredible, the energy that we’re playing with,” Durant said. “We’re playing together on both ends of the floor. We’re having fun out there.”
Despite star guard Devin Booker having a tough night, scoring just 13 points on 3-of-18 shooting and missing all six of his three-pointers, the Suns still won. Bradley Beal added 17 points and said he feels fully recovered from the elbow injury that had kept him out for two games.
Beal struggled early last season after joining the Suns due to injuries, but he’s now more confident in his role.
“I had a better feel coming into this season of kind of what my role would be, how the team would utilize me and where I could just see where we had a gaping hole,” Beal said.
Meanwhile, the Heat are beginning a six-game road trip, with upcoming games in Denver, Minnesota, and Detroit, followed by two games in Indiana on Nov. 15-17.
Miami has split its first six games and is coming off a heartbreaking 111-110 loss to the Sacramento Kings on Monday. Sacramento’s Domantas Sabonis scored the game-winning basket with a putback with less than a second remaining.
The Heat were unable to grab the rebound after De’Aaron Fox’s initial shot.
“Terry (Rozier) jumped as high as he possibly could,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “Sabonis had a shove, which you are not going to call at that point.
We couldn’t come up with the rebound. All it would have taken was a tip to secure the win. It’s unfortunate. Tough loss because we showed resolve.”
Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro each scored 27 points, with Butler adding 15 in the final quarter. Rookie guard Pelle Larsson helped by scoring 13 points off the bench in 25 minutes of play, marking his third appearance for Miami after being drafted in the second round out of Arizona.
“He is a two-way player,” Spoelstra said. “Even though he’s a rookie by NBA standards, he has a great deal of competitive experience. He’s savvy, has the toughness we like, can guard multiple positions.”
Veteran forward Kevin Love returned to the Heat for Monday’s game but did not play due to conditioning reasons. He will also miss Wednesday’s game, as will second-year player Jaime Jaquez Jr., who is out with gastroenteritis.
Phoenix won both matchups against the Heat last season.
