Kevin Durant shines in OT thriller: Phoenix Suns top defending champion Denver Nuggets

This game was full of runs, and it took more than 48 minutes to determine a winner. In the end, the Phoenix Suns were able to come out on top 117-107 in overtime against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena thanks to a clutch performance by Kevin Durant.

After struggling for most of the 4th quarter, the 2-time champion hit the game-tying 3 in regulation to force overtime. Bradley Beal drove to the paint and hit KD on the top of the key. The 14-time All-Star then took one dribble to the left before stepping back and hitting the clutch triple with 26 seconds left. In the extra period, Durant caught on fire, outscoring the defending champs 8-5 on his own to ultimately lead his team to victory.

The 4-time scoring champ led the way with 35 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists. Grayson Allen contributed 28 points with 8 made three pointers. Bradley Beal finished with 16 points while Drew Eubanks scored 10 off the bench.

Jamal Murray scored a team high 28 points to go along with 7 rebounds and 9 assists. Nikola Jokic finished with 25 points, 16 rebounds, and 5 assists with 4 made triples. Michael Porter Jr. scored 20 points and also hit 4 treys. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had 11 points while Aaron Gordon shot 30% and ended with just 7 points.

This win improves the Suns to 36-26 on the season and keeps them as the 6th seed in the West. They sit 1 game behind the 5th seeded Pelicans and 1 game above the 7th seeded Kings. This was a huge win for Phoenix without their star Devin Booker, especially for a team who has championship aspirations as they proved tonight that they can compete with the best. This victory snaps a 2-game losing streak and they will look to build off this win on Thursday against the Toronto Raptors.

Denver falls to 42-20 with this loss, sitting 3rd in the conference and 1 game behind the Timberwolves for the first seed. This was a tough loss for the Nuggets but they are still viewed as one of the favorites to come out of the West. It's still a tight race to the top so anything is still possible with a month left in the season. The reigning champs are 6-4 over their last 10 games and will look to bounce back against the Boston Celtics on Thursday in a potential NBA Finals preview.