The Phoenix Suns were hosted by the Orlando Magic tonight at the Kia Center. Considering that the Suns won seven of their last eight games, they certainly were the favorites entering the matchup. However, Paolo Banchero led the Magic to orchestrate an upset, grabbing a 113-98 win. The loss also created a stir in the locker room with Kevin Durant and Frank Vogel having differing opinions about the Suns’ offense.
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Kevin Durant had an off-night, scoring merely 15 points on 12 shot attempts. According to Frank Vogel, KD would’ve gotten many more open shots had the Phoenix Suns done a better job at setting screens. While talking to the reporters postgame, the 6ft 11” forward disagreed with his coach. Revealing a different opinion, the Durantula stated that he didn’t need screens and wasn’t going to force more shots due to the lack of attempts.
“I don’t need screens. It’s cool to get them but I don’t really need them… I’m not going to try to force something up because I haven’t taken shots,” Durant claimed.
There is something to be said about Kevin Durant outright denying his head coach’s words. After all, it could be a hint towards how the locker room’s atmosphere may be for the Phoenix Suns. That said, given who Kevin Durant is, this is likely more so about the star holding himself accountable for his shots, and how he needs to be more efficient without raising his number of shot attempts. Given the level of talent he has proven he has, it likely won’t be long before he figures it all out.
Durant’s also recorded 7 out of the team’s 22 turnovers. Instead of justifying himself, the 2014 MVP admitted to his mistakes. And like a true leader, he took the blame for the loss as he set a bad example, turnovers-wise, to his teammates.
“I put that all on me for starting the game off with a turnover. That inspires my team to do that,” Durant said.
Turnovers were extremely costly for the Phoenix Suns. The Orlando Magic managed to score 21 points off the turnovers. Whereas, Paolo Banchero and co. did a great job, turning the ball over only seven times, resulting in the Arizona side scoring merely 8 points.
From what we’ve seen in the past, we can expect the two-time champ to have a better performance when he next suits up. The last time KD recorded 7 turnovers was against the Sacramento Kings on 16th January. However, he managed to redeem himself with a much more efficient performance in the very next fixture against the New Orleans Pelicans – 26 points on 57.9% FG and only 1 turnover.
Devin Booker comments on the 4th quarter concerns for Kevin Durant and Co.
Devin Booker had yet another scoring outburst resulting in a loss. Coming off a 62-point performance, D-Book had a sensational night. The combo guard recorded 44 points while shooting at a highly effective 65.4% from the field.
However, Booker was unable to perform in the final period, finishing with only two points. As a unit, Frank Vogel’s team only recorded 13 points in the fourth quarter. Getting outscored by 18 points (31-13), the Suns suffered yet another loss due to their awful fourth-quarter outing.
Following the game, Devin Booker shed light on the things that went wrong, resulting in the Suns’ loss.
Despite having the All-Star trio of Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal, the Phoenix Suns are unable to close out games. Their performance in the final quarter has been concerning, averaging merely 24.5 points.
Kevin Durant and co. had a huge win over the Dallas Mavericks to begin their seven-game road trip. However, after falling to the Indiana Pacers and the Orlando Magic, they are tied with the #7 New Orleans Pelicans with a 26-20 record.
With the #8 Dallas Mavericks being only two games behind them, the Suns need to finish out the rest of the road trip on a successful note. Going up against the Heat, the Nets, the Hawks, and the Wizards, the star-studded roster will be expected to brew an inspiring win streak.
