'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Kevin Durant praised his teammates for stepping up in the absence of Bradley Beal, who sat out on Sunday due to injury management. Durant and Devin Booker were the main focus on defense by the LA Lakers, which opened up for role players like Grayson Allen to step up.
KD told Duane Rankin of AZ Central about how Allen, Royce O'Neal and Jusuf Nurkic helped the Lakers pay for paying too much attention to him and Booker. He even mentioned how Anthony Davis was so focused on stopping the Suns duo that they forgot to cover the rest of the team.
"We got to make teams pay for selling out trying to stop me and Book," Durant said.
"I think that's what Lakers have done. They have had some success with it early on, but we're missing some guys. ... Guys came through today, made them pay for it. Grayson was open, Royce was open. AD felt like he was living Nurk's body a lot to come and maybe contest."
KD added:
"I heard AD screaming to his teammates, 'You got to help me, you got to help me' cause he trying to track me and Book wherever we go. Teams want to try to pull that out, especially without Brad, so guys got to be aggressive, look to score the ball and make the right play."
Kevin Durant ended with 22 points, five rebounds and seven assists in the Phoenix Suns' 123-113 win over the LA Lakers. Devin Booker had 21 points and nine assists, while Grayson Allen contributed 24 points and two rebounds.
Jusuf Nurkic also had his way on the block with 18 points, 22 rebounds and seven assists. Royce O'Neal added 20 points, 10 rebounds and four assists, while Bol Bol scored 11 points off the bench.
Meanwhile, Anthony Davis scored 22 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for the Lakers. LeBron James had a double-double with 28 points and 12 assists. The LA Lakers face the LA Clippers in their next game, while the Suns take on the Houston Rockets twice in three days.
What's next for Kevin Durant and the Suns?
The Phoenix Suns continue their four-game homestand on Thursday against the Houston Rockets.
The Suns face the Rockets again on Saturday before welcoming the OKC Thunder on Mar. 3. It's going to be a tough second half of the season for Phoenix because of the quality of their opponents.
After the homestand, the Suns face the Denver Nuggets on the road before a stretch of games against the Boston Celtics twice and the Cleveland Cavaliers on the road. They are sixth in the Western Conference with a 34-24 record.
