Having lost their previous game to the 12th-seeded Rockets, the Phoenix Suns were dealt with another blow by the Oklahoma City Thunder tonight. Playing without their All-Star guard Devin Booker, the Suns came into this game a bit shorthanded but confident to turn their fortunes around. However, the team suffered a 118-110 loss at home, after which both Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal gave their thoughts on the matter.
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After the game, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal both had a few words with the media regarding tonight’s loss. While still in the locker room, Durant was asked how he felt when he saw the team at its full potential on certain plays and then getting stuck in a rut only a few plays after.
“We had spurts, but it’s not a good feeling not to be consistent.”
“We had spurts, but it’s not a good feeling not to be consistent.”
Kevin Durant after #Suns 118-110 loss to #Thunder. pic.twitter.com/EbyCTOq7zV
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) March 4, 2024
The reporters also informed Durant about the team’s total number of turnovers and his contribution to that total, leaving him genuinely baffled. Bradley Beal, on the other hand, sat down with the media for a postgame press conference. Leading the Suns in scoring with a 31-point night, Beal was asked to address the team’s high number of turnovers tonight.
His solution for the Suns to cut down on turning the ball over may have been as brief and apt as it could be. Beal simply said, “Just shoot the ball.”
“Shoot the ball.”
Bradley Beal on how to avoid turnovers as he feels #Suns are over passing.
Beal finished with seven turnovers. #ThunderUp pic.twitter.com/S3IQ7Hf1hN
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) March 4, 2024
Bradley Beal had 31 points, leading his team in the scoring column tonight. But he also led the Suns in turnovers, with the star racking up 7 of them tonight. Even Durant had five turnovers for the night along with a mere 20-point game.
Funny how a 20-point game from Kevin Durant does not seem to impress, given the plethora of talent he has and his ability to score at will, with ease. But that was the case for tonight’s matchup against the Thunder. Really, apart from turnovers, the team needs to figure out how to win games in the midst of Devin Booker’s absence.
Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal discuss team turnovers
Rotating the ball and being generous with that extra pass on offense is a coach’s dream come true when talking about moving the rock. However, being too generous due to the presence of multiple All-Stars is also something that can hamper the team’s offense, something that the Phoenix Suns had to deal with tonight.
The Suns had 21 turnovers as opposed to the Thunder’s 5. The amount of disparity in turnover numbers certainly played a factor in tonight’s loss. Phoenix did not have Devin Booker in tonight’s lineup due to an ankle injury. Had Booker been on the court, the turnover number could’ve been a lot more than 21 due to players rotating the ball among the team’s All-Stars.
Thunder’s on-ball pressure led Oklahoma City to rack up 16 steals whereas the Suns only had two. As for the offense, OKC had an off-night from beyond the arc, shooting only 29% while the Suns still had a healthy 35.9 three-point shooting percentage.
If only Phoenix had taken care of the ball better, they would’ve come out on top despite being shorthanded. Both the stars have acknowledged and addressed the same issue after the game. And you can be sure head coach Frank Vogel will address this in the team’s next practice.
The Suns will face off the Nuggets in their next game. Tune in to see if Phoenix has a breakout game against the defending NBA Champions on March, 5.
