Kevin Durant rusty in return, but Suns rally past Timberwolves in his delayed home debut

Kevin Durant wasn't at his best.

But after long delay, he was a welcome sight for Phoenix Suns fans who witnessed his home debut Wednesday in a 107-100 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Durant was originally slated to make his home debut on March 8 against the Oklahoma City Thunder, four games after his first game in a Suns uniform. But an ankle injury sustained in pregame warmups pushed it back three weeks to Wednesday.

He didn't get off to a great start. Durant went scoreless in the first quarter and didn't hit his first field goal until a turn-around jumper from the wing over Timberwolves forward Jalen McDaniels with 5:23 remaining in the second. He missed his first six attempts from the floor.

As Durant struggled, the Timberwolves took a 51-48 lead into halftime. But Devin Booker and Chris Paul carried the offensive load as the Suns rallied from a 10-point deficit to open an 81-74 lead to start the fourth. Durant had 10 points on a 3-of-13 effort through three quarters.

The Timberwolves bounced back to tie the game at 84-84. Durant's shooting woes didn't discourage him from taking his shot when called upon. He hit a 3-pointer with 9:19 remaining to break the tie and give the Suns an 87-84 lead that they wouldn't relinquish.

Crucial win for West standings

The Timberwolves kept things close down the stretch, but the Suns walked away with a critical win. They entered Wednesday at 40-35 with a tenuous grasp on the crucial 4 seed in the West, the last spot that ensures home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. They held a tiebreaker over the fifth-place Los Angeles Clippers and a 1.5-game edge over the Timberwolves team they were playing.

But they secured the victory despite the off night from Durant, who finished with 16 points, eight rebounds and four assists while shooting 5 of 18 from the field. Booker led the Phoenix effort with 29 points and five assists while Paul added 19 points and six assists. The win gave the Suns a half-game buffer over the Clippers for the No. 4 seed while pushing the Golden State Warriors 1.5 games back and the Timberwolves 2.5 games below them in the standings.

Phoenix now has six regular-season games remaining to further incorporate one of the game's historically great offensive players after acquiring Durant from the Brooklyn Nets at the trade deadline. It'll do so in a tightly contested Western Conference playoff race.

But if Durant remains healthy — alongside Booker, Paul and Deandre Ayton — Phoenix will enter the postseason on the short list of favorites to win the championship.