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Following a rocky start to the season, the Suns (25-18) are beginning to look like the title contenders many expected them to be entering the season.
Phoenix is on a six-game winning streak and is 11-3 over their past 14 games after starting the season 14-15.
A big reason for the team’s turnaround has been the health of Bradley Beal. Beal appeared in six of the Suns’ first 30 games because of back issues. Since returning on Dec. 29, Beal has played in 13 straight games for Phoenix.
The combination of a now healthy Beal (18 PPG, four APG) with his fellow All-Stars Kevin Durant (29.6 PPG, 5.6 APG) and Devin Booker (26.7 PPG, 7.6 APG), makes Phoenix a dangerous team.
In the 240 minutes — a relatively small sample size — that the trio has spent on the court together, they are outscoring opponents by 15.2 points per 100 possessions. For comparison, the league-leading Celtics outscore opponents by 9.7 points per 100 possessions.
During the six-game winning streak, the three All-Stars have all had a chance to showcase their scoring talents.
Beal scored 37 points on 8-for-10 three-point shooting in a 127-109 win over the Lakers and Booker scored 52 points on 18-for-30 shooting against the Pelicans in a 123-109 victory.
It was Durant’s turn to shine the past two games as he scored 40 points on 18-for-25 shooting in a 117-110 win against the Pacers and 43 points against the Bulls. His strong outing against Chicago included the game-winning basket.
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