Nets roll over Suns, second-best team in the West

NEW YORK — The Phoenix Suns were supposed to be a tough test for the Nets on Sunday. They own the second-best record in the Western Conference, are coached by the presumptive Coach of the Year favorite Monty Williams, and are in position to challenge for their first playoff run since Steve Nash last wore their colors in 2009.

But what’s a test when you have all the answers? A formality at best.

The Suns are led by Chris Paul, powered by Devin Booker, assembled by James Jones and have shooters and defenders surrounding their stars. The Nets countered them with a healthy Kevin Durant and a hungry Kyrie Irving, which resulted in a 128-119 win over the Suns at Barclays Center.

Few teams can match that.

Durant said the Nets didn’t look at the Suns as a measuring stick, despite their standing in the wide-open West.

“[It was] just another game. I think they look at us as a measuring stick, too. They’re fresh on the scene as an elite team,” he said. “This is pretty new to them, so we wanted to gauge and take that physicality that they bring. The toughness, that quickness that they bring.

“But that’s all it was. Just another day at the office.”

While Durant diminished the importance of Sunday’s victory, make no mistake, it was huge: The Nets took down a Western Conference powerhouse with ease, a Suns team that’s recorded two-and-a-half wins for every loss on the season. And they did it without James Harden (hamstring), who led the shorthanded Nets to a 24-point come-from-behind victory over the Suns in Phoenix back in February.

Nets coach Steve Nash chose not to view Sunday’s win as a barometer, either.

“Tonight was good, lots to build on, lots of positives, but for me it’s never, ‘This is where we are.’ It’s where are we going?” Nash said . “And so this is an indicator of what we can do well and where we can improve and continue to chip away and get better.”

When tested, the Nets had the answers. Irving is fasting for Ramadan, but the Suns were on the menu before the sunset. He scored the Nets’ first seven points, scored 16 of their first 20, and continued to pelt Phoenix in yet another high-efficiency, high-output offensive performance of his season.

Irving finished with 34 points in 35 minutes, shooting 5-of-7 from three and a perfect 9-of-9 from the foul line. The Suns tried Paul. They tried the bigger Mikal Bridges. They tried the double team with DeAndre Ayton. It didn’t work. Irving is the solution to most defensive problems. The Nets are fortunate to have more than one.

Durant was the second and final answer. The Barclays Center crowd welcomed him back with a standing ovation after he missed three straight games with a thigh injury that followed a 23-game hiatus due to a strained hammy.

Durant came off the bench with eight minutes to go in the second quarter. He never looked back, got downhill often and played a unique mix of bully ball and, well, shooting over defenders as if they don’t exist. The All-Star captain finished with 33 points in 28 minutes and shot 12-of-21 from the field and likened his performance to getting on a bike for the first time in years.

“You get your footing right, you get your rhythm, and I think my teammates did a great job of looking for me all game, and I just wanted to resort back to that work that I put in,” he said. “The shots that I take in practice and shootaround, try to get to those as much as possible to gain my rhythm, and I started to get a little bit more creative as the game progressed. It was a good start. Hopefully I build on this game and keep going.”

Remember, this is a very good Phoenix Suns team, a team that just ran the Eastern Conference gamut, beating the Sixers and Bucks in consecutive games. The Nets were a brick wall despite one of their biggest bricks missing.

The Nets remain in sole possession of the East’s No. 1 seed and are winners of 12 of their last 16 games. They’ve won these games despite having stars in and out of the lineup, proving a problem-solving team will always have answers.

And some of those answers are built into the roster.