Durant stars as Suns beat Pistons

Kevin Durant’s 25 points helped inflict a third straight defeat on Detroit Pistons

Kevin Durant scored 25 points to lead the Phoenix Suns past the Detroit Pistons 116-100.

The victory came despite the Suns losing guard Devin Booker in the sixth minute on Wednesday after he was ejected for two quick technical fouls.

Saben Lee added a season-high 16 points for the Suns, and matched his career best with four steals.

Simone Fontecchio’s 18 points could not help end Detroit’s poor run of form as they fell to a third straight defeat.

Durant scored 12 points in the first half as the Suns took a commanding 70-41 lead.

Elsewhere, the Golden State Warriors lost 130-125 to the LA Clippers despite Steph Curry’s 41-point haul which saw him become the first player in NBA history to score at least seven three-pointers in four consecutive games.

The Clippers overturned a 14-point deficit as James Harden finished with 26 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, while Paul George added 24 points.

The Clippers are top of the Western Conference Pacific while the Warriors remain at the bottom of that division.

The Brooklyn Nets were beaten for a fifth time in six games in a 136-86 thrashing by the Boston Celtics.

Jayson Tatum scored 20 points, dished out nine assists, and claimed seven rebounds for the Celtics, who beat the Nets on consecutive nights.

LeBron James was rested as the LA Lakers beat the Utah Jazz 138-122. Anthony Davis scored 37 points and 15 rebounds, while Rui Hachimura added a career-high 36 points.

The Sacramento Kings fought back from a 16-point deficit in the second half to beat the Denver Nuggets 102-98.

It is the Kings’ second victory over the Nuggets in the space of five days and De’Aaron Fox starred with 30 points, eight assists, and eight rebounds.

Donovan Mitchell scored 30 points to help the Cleveland Cavaliers edge past the Chicago Bulls 108-105, including a crucial free throw with 44 seconds remaining as the Bulls wasted a 17-point lead.

Kyrie Irving’s 34 points and Luka Doncic’s 27 points led the Dallas Mavericks to a 116-93 victory over the San Antonio Spurs.

Doncic also had nine rebounds and eight assists in 31 minutes but had to leave the court in the fourth quarter with a neck injury.

The Orlando Magic beat the New York Knicks 118-100 with Paolo Banchero scoring 36 points and Franz Wagner adding 21.

Jalen Brunson starred for the injury-hit Knicks – who were missing six players including Julius Randle and Bojan Bogdanovic – with 33 points and six assists.

Bam Adebayo’s 23 points and 14 rebounds helped the Miami Heat beat the Philadelphia 76ers 109-104 to maintain their place at the top of the Eastern Conference Southeast.

The Indiana Pacers narrowly beat the Toronto Raptors 127-125, as Tyrese Haliburton scored 21 points and 12 assists, and Pascal Siakam added 23 against his former team.

Meanwhile, the Charlotte Hornets beat the Atlanta Hawks 122-99 for a third straight victory – their best winning streak of the season.

The Memphis Grizzlies ended a nine-game losing streak with a 121-113 win over the Houston Rockets while Deni Avdija’s career-best 43 points led the New Orleans Pelicans to a 133-126 win over the Washington Wizards.