PHOENIX — Another night for the Phoenix Suns, another win, and another clutch Kevin Durant shot.

Things were looking murky for the Suns in their 115-112 victory over the Miami Heat, especially in the third when their deficit reached double digits and they looked all sorts of lost.

However, Durant again came to the rescue like so many times before to push the Suns to a 7-1 record, matching their best start to a season through the first eight games.

Durant pushed Phoenix’s lead to two possessions with this shot as time ran down:

Jusuf Nurkic also played a massive part in Phoenix gaining a win, as his 20 points and 18 rebounds were much needed.

Quick Recap

The Suns got out to a 26-25 lead after the first quarter thanks to a strong effort in the paint by Phoenix, who out-rebounded Miami 13-8 in the opening quarter of play.

However, it was the Heat who walked into the locker room at halftime ahead 58-55 thanks to 14 points from Tyler Herro, who was 3-4 shooting from downtown. Miami made a total of 7-15 attempts from deep through the first two quarters.

The Heat took control of the third quarter and eventually built their lead to 15 before a late Suns surge (15-3) closed the quarter on a high note for Phoenix, who were down just 87-84 moving into the fourth.

The two sides battled down to the wire of the final 12 minutes – where it again came down to Durant sinking a clutch shot to push Phoenix to a win – this time coming at the top of the key with 16 seconds remaining.

A Herro layup with ten seconds left drew Miami’s deficit back to two. On the ensuing end, Booker missed his first free throw before narrowly making the second try, pushing the Suns’ lead to 115-112 with under five seconds to play.

The Heat were unable to get a respectable shot off at the buzzer, seeing Phoenix exit the buzzer with a victory.

Notable Performances

Kevin Durant: 32 PTS, 8 REB, 3 AST
Devin Booker: 22 PTS, 4 REB, 9 AST
Jusuf Nurkic: 20 PTS, 18 REB, 2 BLK
Grayson Allen: 12 PTS

Tyler Herro: 28 PTS, 3 REB, 6 AST
Jimmy Butler: 15 PTS, 7 REB, 3 AST

What’s Next?

The Suns are on the road Friday night against the Dallas Mavericks.

Lofty expectations were already set when Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba joined former Barcelona coach Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino at Inter Miami in the summer 2023 transfer window to elevate the Herons as the best team in Major League Soccer.

Add Luis Suárez to the frontline alongside eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi and Miami went on to enjoy the best regular season in MLS history in 2024. While Miami’s postseason finish remains up in the air, Messi and Co. propelled the south Florida side to greatness in the form of the Supporters’ Shield and the MLS single-season points record.

With 74 points collected through 34 matches played, the Herons surpassed the 73 points set by the New England Revolution in 2021. However, Miami will hope to go on to lift MLS Cup later this year unlike the Revolution, who fell in the 2021 Eastern Conference semifinals to NYCFC.

Here’s Miami’s 2024 record breaking season by the numbers.

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Three women were shot early Wednesday in Miami, police said.

It happened at around 12:25 a.m. at 547 NW 19th Street, according to Miami police.

Units responded to three women shot. One of the victims was in critical condition, and the other two were stable, authorities said.

The circumstances of the shooting were not immediately clear.

This is a developing story. Refresh for updates.