NBA Fans Eye Suns-Mavs Playoff Series After Durant Tops Kyrie, Luka, Klay in Thriller

In a star-studded matchup between two Western Conference contenders on Friday night, the Phoenix Suns came out on top.

Kevin Durant finished with 26 points in 37 minutes on the floor, leading the Suns to a 114-113 win over the Dallas Mavericks.

Durant also recorded five rebounds, four assists and two blocks while shooting 57.1 percent from the floor and 50 percent from behind the arc.

Phoenix led by 13 points at halftime, but Dallas responded with a 33-point third quarter. The Mavericks stormed back to take a four-point lead with just over three minutes left in regulation, although they weren't able to close out the victory.

Dallas tied the contest with 23 seconds remaining, but Suns center Jusuf Nurkić was fouled just before the final buzzer. Nurkić missed his first free throw before connecting on the second, sealing the win.

Fans looked forward to a potential playoff series between the two teams following the game.

Despite scoring just 13 points, Devin Booker still made his presence felt by racking up 12 assists without committing a turnover.

The Mavericks nearly pulled out a win due to strong performances from Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving. Dončić finished with 30 points and seven rebounds to go along with seven assists while Irving chipped in with 29 points and six assists of his own.

Klay Thompson was inconsistent throughout the night, shooting just 4-13 from the field which included a 1-7 mark on three-pointers. He scored 12 points and pulled down four rebounds.

The Suns' victory represented their seventh straight win, improving to 8-1 on the season as a whole. Dallas fell to 5-4.