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OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Every time Kevin Durant touched the ball in his newest comeback to Oklahoma City, the boos began. His containers and knife 3s were as well.
Durant scored 35 points and Devin Booker had 22 points and 10 assists as the Suns extended the NBA's best current winning run to five games with a 128-118 triumph over the Thunder in front of 17,981 fans at Paycom Center on Sunday.
"I'm still surprised at how many people there are; why they boo him here," Suns coach Monty Williams said following the game. "I'm not sure what you mean. I believe this fan group is one I've admired for a long time, and I understand why. When you lose a man like Kevin, I think you have to understand what he meant to this institution at some time."
With Durant in the roster, the Suns (43-35) are now 6-0. He addressed the boos after the game, noting that he departed the Thunder after the 2015-16 season to join Golden State, where he earned back-to-back NBA titles and finals MVPs.
Durant nailed back-to-back corner 3s off Chris Paul passes to keep the Thunder at bay in the fourth quarter, his third 30-point game with the Suns. With 5:02 remaining, the second one placed Phoenix ahead, 112-106.
Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault called a break with 4:32 left and Deandre Ayton followed with an inside basket.
"We hadn't run that play in a while, which is why I keep saying we're finding things," Paul, who ended with 16 points and eight assists, explained. "We're practicing with these games to see what works." Examine the situation. They doubled Book right off the jump ball. A lot of this is novel to us, and we're working hard to figure it out."With 1:12 left, Paul added a 3 to make the margin 10 points.
With 47.5 seconds left, Durant made his final dagger 3 to give Phoenix a 124-113 lead. He was 3-of-7 from deep, with all of his 3s coming in the fourth quarter.
"We took a few steps in the right direction," said Ayton, who had 19 points and 11 rebounds. The Suns finished 3-1 against the Thunder this season, avenging a 124-120 defeat at OKC (38-41) last month. Durant last faced the Thunder in OKC while playing for Brooklyn last season.
"He adores the metropolis. He understands how important (Thunder general manager Sam Presti) and this company were to him. I hope they can respect him eventually, and I know it's not for everyone, but when you hear that, you're like, man, that's; I know it's the environment we're in now, but that was, I just felt for him because I know these people. I resided here, and I know how much they mean to me and my family, so I just feel for him because I know he loves these people." Durant reminisced on his time in OKC and how he developed as a person there.
"I had so many wonderful memories here, so many people who changed my life," Durant said. "It altered my perspective on life." I'll be eternally grateful to be a member of this group."
Daniel Weinman was crowned winner of the 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event on Monday, taking home a record breaking $12.1 million in winnings. Weinman had to outlast the other 10,043 entrants to take home the prize and get his hands on his share of live poker’s largest ever prize pool – a staggering $93,399,900. As well as taking home the prize money, 35-year-old Weinman also got his hands on the WSOP Main Event bracelet. The huge bracelet contains 500 grams of 10-karat yellow gold, as well as 2,352 various precious gemstones.
Daniel Weinman won the World Series of Poker's main event world championship on Monday in Las Vegas, earning $12.1 million along the way. Playing in the tournament for a 16th year, Weinman was tops in a deep pool of 10,043 players vying for $93.39 million. His victory came after just 164 hands at the final table. "I was honestly on the fence about even coming back and playing this tournament," the 35-year-old Atlanta native told reporters afterward. Weinman's final table featured Jan-Peter Jachtmann, who landed in fourth place and took home $3 million, as well as Toby Lewis, who finished seventh and secured $1.42 million. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the main event's entry pool far outpaced the previous record of 8,773 set in 2006. "I've always kind of felt that poker was kind of going in a dying direction, but to see the numbers at the World Series this year has been incredible," Weinman said. "And to win this main event, it doesn't feel real. I mean, [there's] so much luck in a poker tournament. I thought I played very well." Steven Jones finished second, securing $6.5 million. And Adam Walton settled for third and a $4 million prize.
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