When the Suns play again: The final stretch
It was a game that saw some key players return to action in the final quarter.
The Suns lost in overtime, but it didn’t matter because it was an easy win for them.
It was the same story for the Thunder, who were just a few points away from winning in overtime against a very talented and experienced team.
After the Thunder pulled away late in regulation, the Suns had a 3-2 lead going into the extra period.
But the Suns couldn’t hold on to the lead, as Oklahoma City rallied in the third and led by seven points.
The Thunder had some success early in the extra frame, as Marcus Smart scored five points and Goran Dragic had nine points and seven rebounds.
But it wasn’t enough to keep the Suns in the game, as the Thunder took the lead with 3:14 left.
The crowd of more than 10,000 at the US Airways Center roared with excitement as they saw the Thunder close the game.
The fans got into their seats to get a feel for the score.
The final horn sounded and the Suns got a quick 3-1 lead.
The Heat scored the next four points of the overtime period to push the lead back to six.
The game continued with both teams in the lead at the end of regulation.
The score was tied at 73 at the 4:28 mark of the extra session, and the score remained at a game apiece until the last two minutes.
The two teams traded shots throughout the final period, and it was up to the Suns to get some points in.
They scored the first three points of overtime to tie the score at 74.
With a minute remaining in the period, Suns guard Brandon Knight went down with a right shoulder injury.
He had been battling the injury since the start of the season.
He went down for a period and didn’t return.
However, he was able to return after the Suns called timeout and played the final four minutes of the game without Knight.
With the Suns up three with under two minutes remaining, the Thunder was able play a four-on-three, and they made the first basket of the period to take a 72-72 lead.
It took the Suns just over three minutes to find their first lead of the half, but the Thunder were able to hold it with a 6-2 run to get within seven.
The ball started to move again, and Russell Westbrook and Josh Smith were able with a pair of free throws to make it 71-70 with less than two minutes to go in the second.
The Jazz were able get within five with a 3 and a 1.
The teams traded some free throws in the closing seconds, but not before the Suns led 76-64 with 7:05 left in the half.
With 12:10 left, the teams traded free throws again, this time with a chance to tie it at 75.
The play went to the basket, and Smith made a 3, and Westbrook made a free throw.
The momentum swung the Suns’ way, and Knight came back to the bench to get his first of three free throws, but he missed both of them.
With 3:07 left, Russell Westbrook made another 3-pointer to give the Thunder a 79-78 lead with less then two minutes left in regulation.
Russell Westbrook scored the Suns first point of the quarter on a drive to the hoop, and he made both free throws.
The Nuggets responded with a free kick and a three-point play to cut the lead to 80-79 with 1:58 left in overtime.
With less than one minute left in extra time, the Nuggets tied it up with an offensive rebound by Jamal Murray, and then a missed layup by Josh Smith cut the margin to 75-75 with 2:22 left in OT.
With 2:20 left, a missed shot by Smith cut Denver’s lead to 82-75, but Russell Westbrook hit a three with 5:40 left to make the Nuggets’ lead go to overtime.
The lead was tied going into overtime when the Suns made it 82-79, but Westbrook scored six points to seal it.