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Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns lost their season series against the Western Conference's worst team, the San Antonio Spurs, who played without their best player, Victor Wembanyama. Phoenix trailed by 11 points early, turned it around, and took a nine-point lead but couldn't hold onto it after another dismal second-half performance.
The Suns lost 104-102 after Kevin Durant and Devin Booker failed to convert the potential game-winning shots from 3-point range. The Suns could have won the contest as they were up 102-101 before Jeremy Sochan, who tallied 26 points and 18 rebounds, hit the game-winner with 29 seconds left from deep. It was his first make from the arc on seven attempts.
The Suns had a 36-point outing from Booker and 29 points from Durant on an efficient split of 70.6% from the floor, including 66.7% from 3 (four triples), but the rest of the group struggled heavily. Royce O'Neale's 12-point burst off the bench made him the only other player to score in double-digits.
With Phoenix losing its season series to the lowly Spurs, NBA fans smoked the Western Conference contenders on X, formerly Twitter, with "Spurs own Suns" chants.
Here are some of the reactions:
Kevin Durant and Suns' playoff ceiling in question
Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns came into the 2023-24 season as one of the favorites to win the championship. However, an injury bug hit them early, and it's been difficult to shrug off. Devin Booker and Bradley Beal haven't been on the floor as much, missing a combined 43 games. Their injury woes have limited the Suns from seeing their big three on the floor together for significant minutes.
With 10 games left, the Suns (42-30) are eighth in the West. Nobody seems confident in their ability to contend for a championship. The Suns must display the consistency required to prove they are made for a title run. They've had defensive struggles under a defensive-minded coach, while their fourth-quarter numbers are nearly the worst in every aspect.
The Suns have done a decent job of surrounding their stars with quality role players, but even that's not helped them win consistently in the regular season. Bradley Beal has been underwhelming in his debut year, too.
The burden on Kevin Durant and Devin Booker is nearly the same as last year to help the team prevail based on their isolation scoring. It has yet to be a recipe for success in recent years, and the Suns may have to settle for an early exit in the playoffs.
Guess the Lakers players!
