Kevin Durant, the main player for the Phoenix Suns, had a huge game against the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday, helping the team win 118-116. Durant scored 35 points and dished six assists to give the team the victory and improve to a 6-1 record.
The Suns had all their stars healthy tonight against Philly. Bradley Beal added 17 points and two steals while shooting 60% from deep in five tries. Devin Booker, meanwhile, didn’t have the best of games. Booker only had 13 points and shot 16% from the field. He fired 0-for-6 from long range and found it difficult to be dependable from deep.
The Sixers, meanwhile, brought in Paul George for the first time this season. George was on a minute restriction as the franchise continued to monitor his health. However, he still logged 31 minutes, but was ineffective for the team. The All-Star forward finished the game with 15 points and shot 4-for-14 from the field and 1-for-7 from deep.
Philly had a chance in the fourth period as the score was tied to 116. However, Durant’s game-winning layup secured the win for the Suns.
KEVIN DURANT FOR THE WIN.
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) November 5, 2024
After the game, Kevin Durant broke down the last play that set up the game-winning bucket in the fourth.
“We had proper spacing when I got the ball,” Durant said. “First of all, Grayson [Allen] with the incredible offensive rebound… Grayson made a great offensive rebound which kinda set us up. Once you got the offensive rebound, they’re scrambling a bit.”
KD also said the Suns wanted a matchup against Sixers frontcourt player Guerschon Yabusele, as it eliminated the team’s rim protection.
“We got Yabusele on me, that’s the matchup we wanted. He’s a center, so there’s not really much rim protection back there. I just decided to drive.”
"That's the matchup we wanted."
Suns superstar Kevin Durant on his game winning drive on Guerschon Yabusele against 76ers. #Suns #76ers pic.twitter.com/wAdJTlLYlf
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) November 5, 2024
Phoenix will complete their short three-game homestand on Wednesday as they take on the Miami Heat.
Kevin Durant addressed his beef with Stephen A. Smith
During the season, Kevin Durant and Stephen A. Smith of ESPN started a feud. The ESPN analyst persisted in disparaging Durant and his Suns’ leadership position. Smith asserts that he doesn’t think the 6-foot-11 star can lead Phoenix effectively.
This prompted KD to respond and called Smith a “clown” in an interview with The Athletic on Saturday. This time, the two-time champion was asked about his back-and-forth with Smith. According to KD, it’s a healthy exchange as he believes players should be able to respond to the criticism about them.
“We’re human beings, sometimes we want to voice how you feel about certain situations. It is what it is. It’s healthy, right? They can critique what we do. We want to critique as well. We got opinion and ideas on certain things, too. As long as the dialog is open, as long as they can hear what we saying and vice versa, I don’t think it’s too bad.” (via Duane Rankin on X).
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen with Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
