PHOENIX – Last offseason, Kevin Durant referred to it as “The KD Button” when the media made headlines with his name based on little to nothing. However, there is another version of the button, and one that we saw spam the Phoenix Suns in their 118-116 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday.

In a game where there were virtually no turning points, Philadelphia took a nine-point lead with 5:16 left before Durant scored or assisted on 12 of Phoenix's final 14 points. The final basket was a crucial finish to his 14th and 15th points of the quarter, giving the Suns a two-point lead with 24 seconds left.

Oddly enough, Paul George then – in his 76ers debut on a night in which he shot 4-for-13 – isolated himself for the final shot against Tyrese Maxey, who was the more effective closer and guy with a lot more rhythm with 32 points. Even stranger, in a two-point game, George let the clock run down to five seconds before attacking.

Phoenix could still have missed a free throw (or two) to keep a one-possession game, but perhaps we're now at the point in the NBA where the “foul-up-three” free throw shenanigans are the ones Teams like to avoid when chasing the game. Whatever, George missed and that was that.

KD FOR LEADERSHIP.
SUNs KEEP UP.

35 for Durant (15 in the 4th quarter) as @Suns Win for the fifth time in a row! pic.twitter.com/MT2OsETouZ

– NBA (@NBA) November 5, 2024

Echoing the Suns' motto so far this season that there's always a crucial performance from a role player somewhere in a win, Grayson Allen had a huge offensive rebound before Durant made the game-winner, then played solid defense against George, to end the game.

Durant shot 14 of 20 for 35 points, four rebounds and six assists. He shot 3-of-18 (16.7%) on the night for Devin Booker, which, according to Stathead, was the worst field goal percentage of his career in games in which he took at least 15 shots. This game took place in March 2018.

The Suns' offense through Durant consisted of chasing down some of the smaller defensive assignments he could command, a team that he appeared to be at full tilt against all evening, operating around the elbows. Sometimes the more physical defenders can get under Durant and contain him, but he was composed enough to emphatically use his size advantage.

Durant was asked differently on two separate occasions whether the factors surrounding his involvement in the offense had changed and where that rhythm came from on Monday. The second time he made a request.

“It really doesn’t matter,” Durant said. “You shouldn’t even worry about me getting my shots. I'll figure it out, I'll get my vaccinations. I don't need plays being asked of me, I don't need my teammates forcing the ball on me. If we just play together and randomly and spontaneously, the ball will find me.

“I don't want you to think too much about where I'm getting the ball from or what sets he needs to run for me. It’s going to happen in flow if we all just play together, and I think that’s the good thing we’ve done all season.”

I will, KD. Or, uh, won't do it.

Maxey was 12 of 22 and scored 32 points. He is quickly approaching membership and joining the club of “the best goalscorers in the world.” Bradley Beal worked his ass off defensively to make things difficult for Maxey. He also performed well against George on a few possessions.

“I’m really excited to take on the job of guarding guys,” Beal said. “I just think this is another level I can explore.”

Beal added 17 points (7 of 10), five rebounds, three assists and two steals. His play in the first two weeks was the most positive development of the Suns' 6-1 start. He fully understands what he has to do in his unique role and performs extremely well in it. The difficulty level should be highlighted regularly and will remain as it is, at least in this area.

“Going into this season, I had a better sense of what role I was going to play, how the team was going to use me and where I could just see where there was still a gaping hole,” Beal said. “Where we can improve and just put me in that position – tell the coach, tell (assistant coach David Fizdale) this is a job I want every night.”

Beal is nursing a right elbow sprain that is clearly still bothering him, and his playing status has been up in the air for over a week.

Before Kevin Durant did that, a strange basketball game played out

This game had a strange progression as any slight rumble of a run by either team was quickly countered by the opposition. The Suns took the lead with 3:22 left in the first quarter, and after an 11-1 run by the 76ers to tie the score, the Sixers' largest lead was 38-32 for most of the remaining time in the second quarter, which Phoenix would later have itself a lead of five points.

There were 16 lead changes and 11 ties through the middle quarter and up to the 6:46 mark of the final frame. The last of those draws was a Durant 3 at that point before Maxey and Guerschon Yabusele brought the 76ers within six points with just under six minutes left.

Maxey is one of the best young guards in the league and also a guy who reaches a level that few reach when he's on the heater. He was trending that way in the third quarter before Ryan Dunn did a good job of cooling him down. However, Maxey had those three and another just before to change his rhythm.

Jusuf Nurkic then missed two free throws and another Sixers offensive rebound yielded another Yabusele 3, his fifth of the night off the bench in 30 minutes. Yabusele is an absolute liability, but is only 6-foot-8, which would easily allow the Suns to go smaller if they were so inclined. Phoenix barely played in the game except at the start of the second quarter, which ended at -6.

Nurkic played well in the first three quarters before picking up a little in the decisive phase with two turnovers. That could have been the moment to pull him, but head coach Mike Budenholzer stuck with Nurkic.

“It’s always a bit of a matter of gut and feeling,” said Budenholzer. “I just thought Nurk was good tonight. … Every night, different people, we have to try to read it and feel it.”

Nurkic finished the night with 15 points, 15 rebounds, two assists, two steals, one block and five turnovers.

With three minutes left, Yabusele missed back-to-back three-pointers and then the Suns trailed by five by over a minute, which could have given Philly the win. At this point, Durant was in the middle of his takeover. The margin for error versus size is often small.

Phoenix had 56 points after just 24 on Saturday, a great response and a number back in a much more reasonable range. Sixers coach Nick Nurse used his usual defensive plays to limit the Suns in certain areas. They made 14 13s in the first quarter and only 18 in the remaining three periods. The next step is for Phoenix to figure out how to counter the switch to high-volume nights starting at 3 p.m.

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