Kevin Durant, Suns Applauded by Fans in Win vs. Mavs amid Battle for NBA Play-In Spot

Things haven't looked good for the Phoenix Suns recently, but they picked up a crucial 125-116 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday as they look to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Devin Booker led the way with 24 points and six assists, including 18 points in the second half. Kevin Durant added 21 points, nine rebounds and eight assists while Bradley Beal put up 19. Grayson Allen also gave Phoenix some life off the bench with 17 points.

The Mavs got 34 points from Naji Marshall and 26 from Klay Thompson, but the injury-depleted squad didn't have enough for the win.

After the victory for the Suns, fans praised Phoenix for stepping up with the postseason nearing.

With the win, the Suns moved to 30-34 on the season and are now just a game and a half behind the 10th-seeded Mavericks. Phoenix also won the tie-breaker against Dallas, which could come into play if the two squads have the same record at the end of the season.

The Suns likely didn't expect to be fighting for a spot in the play-in tournament at this point in the season, but that's where they are and they'll need to continue stringing together wins to avoid missing the playoffs for the first time since 2020.