In his Suns debut, 13-time NBA All-Star Kevin Durant added a dynamic offensive aspect to an already dangerous attack by scoring 23 points on 10-of-15 shooting. This was a strong start for the Durant era in Phoenix. Same Kevin Durant, different team.
The previous time Durant participated in a game, he was a member of the Brooklyn Nets, and he had been sidelined since early January due to a knee ailment.
In his first NBA game in 52 days, Durant displayed no trace of rust or exhaustion while also giving his opponents a hint of the danger they might expect this postseason. With the abundance of potent weapons already on the roster, it is anticipated that the Suns will be able to completely incorporate the 13-time All-Star.
“I’ve played in almost a thousand basketball games, but today I was nervous,” Durant said. “It’s a new team, new group, and I want to play hard for them and be coachable. So, I was thinking about all that today.”
The two-time Finals MVP and T.J. Warren joined the Suns in a trade before the Feb. 9 deadline that sent Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder, four first-round picks, and a pick swap to Brooklyn in exchange for Durant. Durant’s teammates, meanwhile, expressed gratitude that he chose to do it with them.
Charlotte was undoubtedly not the new-look Suns’ hardest test, but Durant playing like himself is wonderful news for a Phoenix club that now appears to be a serious threat in the Western Conference.
When Durant, wearing No. 35, was presented at the Spectrum Center, there was a raucous applause, and spectators put out their cellphones to try to capture a picture of him wearing his white jersey. The anticipation for Durant’s entrance is great, unlike his previous trips in Seattle, Oklahoma City, Golden State, and Brooklyn, when it was less so.
The Hornets made a run late in the third quarter to cut Phoenix’s lead to just six coming into the fourth quarter, but the Suns maintained the advantage throughout the game. Durant then seized control. In the fourth quarter, Durant played for eight minutes and eleven seconds, scoring nine points on four of six field goal attempts. Durant appeared to have an answer for each time the 메이저사이트 Hornets scored to reduce the margin, especially in the first few minutes of the quarter. There was a time when Durant scored four straight goals for the Suns during that run.
The tandem of Durant and Booker quickly leaps to the very top of the list of the league’s most formidable duos right now. The two players combined for 60 points, 12 rebounds, and nine assists in their debut game together. Both players also shot well over 50% from the field.
The two players seemed to be playing off of each other rather easily already. Maybe there was some leftover synergy from Team USA. They will be extremely difficult to defend as a duo, especially in a two-man action, which will be made much more difficult by the presence of Ayton and Paul.
The Suns resume their current four-game road trip on Friday against Chicago, and Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant will reunite in Dallas on Sunday at American Airlines Center.
Williams is uncertain of his future approach to managing Durant’s workload. But it’s important to take into account how the coach handled Booker’s comeback following a groin injury that kept him out for 21 games. The shooting guard made a full recovery from the injury on February 7, but the coaching staff decided to keep him out of the Suns’ following contest due to 사설토토 his recovery from injury management. Similar circumstances might be in store for Durant in Friday’s game against the Bulls.