The Phoenix Suns have been treading water for quite a while now, but a big win in Denver on Tuesday night could provide the boost they need to make a big playoff push in March and April.

In his third game since returning from a five-game absence due to hamstring injury, Bradley Beal scored 16 points, pulled down six rebounds, dished out six assists and added a pair of steals in Phoenix’s 117-107 overtime win over the defending NBA Champion Denver Nuggets.

“They’re the champs and it’s really tough to win in this building. But this one felt really good,” Brad said. “This is why I decided to come here, to play in these type of games, these big moment games.

Brad scored five of his points in the extra session and added two assists.

The first of those came early in the extra session after Denver turned the ball over on the opening possession. At the other end, Brad found Drew Eubanks for a dunk to give the Suns a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Moments later, Brad buried a three, then followed it up shortly thereafter with a layup to give Phoenix an eight-point lead and force a Denver timeout.

“It felt amazing. I’ve just embraced being back out there. I just enjoy being on the floor. Tonight I was probably facilitating more than anything,” Brad said. “I just stayed with it, stayed aggressive, made some big shots in the fourth and OT. That’s why we’re here. To play in big games and compete at the highest level.”

The Suns kept the pressure up out of the break, extending the lead to 10 and although Nikola Jokic made a three to cut the lead with just over a minute to go, Brad found Kevin Durant seconds later for a dagger three that ended up being the final bucket of the game.

The win snapped a two-game losing streak for the Suns and continued an interesting trend for Phoenix over the last six weeks. Since their season-best seven-game win streak was snapped on January 26 in Indiana, the Suns have had just one streak, winning or losing, or more than two games, three straight wins from February 4th to Feb 8th. Since then they had lost 5 of their last nine games going into Tuesday’s tilt in Denver.

But thanks to a huge game by Kevin Durant, and an excellent team effort defending Nikola Jokic, the Suns were able to escape the Mile High City with a win that could galvanize them moving forward. Durant scored 35 points, including eight in overtime and Jokic finished with 25 points on 8-of-18 shooting.

“We did a great job of staying poised, taking care of the ball tonight. [Kevin] was magnificent down the stretch,” Brad said. “Him being aggressive at all times is what’s best for us. No matter where he is on the floor, where he has the ball or if he’s off the ball, he understands that he has to be involved and he made it more intentional of putting his stamp on the game tonight.”

The Suns return to action on Thursday at home against the Toronto Raptors. After that they host Boston, then begin a four-game road trip with stops in Cleveland, Boston, Charlotte and Milwaukee. Three of those teams currently hold down the Top 3 spots in the East.

“The rest of our year is playoff teams. Every single team, almost, in the West and even a few in the East,” Brad said. “We’re getting prepared.”