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Nigeria's Josh Okogie was the star of the game as the Phoenix Suns defeated the Indiana Pacers.
The Phoenix Suns recorded a 112-107 victory against the Indiana Pacers in an NBA fixture played in the early hours of Sunday, January 23, 2023.
In the absence of star players Devin Booker and Chris Paul, the Suns have now won back-to-back games as they defeated Eastern Conference powerhouse the Brooklyn Nets two days prior to Pacers.
The Suns took a two-point lead at the end of the first quarter however the second quarter was even.
Following the halftime break, the Pacers erased the Suns' lead to level the scores going to the final quarter.
A back-and-forth fourth quarter ended up with a five-point lead for the Suns to defeat the Pacers.
Josh Okogie inspires Suns to beat Pacers
Nigerian basketball star Josh Okogie was the star performer for the Suns in the victory against the Pacers.
Okogie a key player for Nigeria's men's basketball team known as D'Tigers was named on the bench by Suns Head Coach Monty Williams despite Booker and Paul being unavailable.
The 24-year-old Okogie was given 35 minutes of action off the bench as he flourished with the second unit.
He recorded 24 points 10 rebounds and four assists to help the Suns in a back-and-forth encounter.
He had a career-high four blocks and one steal, made six of 11 shots, one of two from three-point range, and 11 of 15 from the free-throw line.
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Speaking to the media after the game, Okogie explained how he does not take being in the NBA for granted.
He said, "I feel like I never take this for granted, I think the average for every athlete is about four to five years.
"I'm kinda around that time, every day even since I came to the league I'm grateful to be here.
"It's always been a dream since I was a little kid. And now that I'm here, you know, I never take it for granted."
It was a decent outing for Okogie who continues to prove his worth to the Suns following his move from the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Okogie returns to action with the Suns when they take on the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday, January 23, 2023.
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