NBA News NBA News, Match Reports and Updates
Kevin Durant returns from injury, Kevin Durant picks up where he left off, showing no signs of rust.
It’s a tale so old, you forget how remarkable it is that seemingly every time Durant steps back on the floor after an absence he doesn’t look gimpy or winded or out of place.
Tuesday night’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers was the latest example of his basketball majesty, continuing his torrid start to the season and helping the Phoenix Suns get back in the win column after a five-game losing streak.
Durant’s 23 points were easy and smooth, effective and non-disruptive to the offensive flow. He could’ve scored 30 without blinking, but the 27-point win didn’t call for it.
When he plays, the Suns are 9-1 this year and look every bit the contender nobody believed they would be this season. You can put Durant onto any team in the league and they’re instantly better, without having to adjust scheme or gameplan — his basketball acumen allows him to blend into any system without him having to be the system, without him having to dominate the ball or attention.
And if his health holds up, the Suns could very well be the biggest party crashers in a crowded Western Conference this spring.
It’s early, and ensuring availability is no guarantee for any team in this NBA, particularly for the Suns, who have two stars in their mid-30s with Durant and Bradley Beal. But they looked dominant against a formidable Lakers team that had their number last year.
They waxed the Lakers by 25 in the second half, and while taking into account the Lakers have had problems with competing on defense against good competition (Orlando, Denver) over the last week, these are the games the Suns should win in order to establish hierarchy in the West.
Minnesota was a trendy pick to make the Finals after its surprising run to the West finals last year, buoyed by the Timberwolves’ sweep of Durant’s Suns in the first round, but they’re under .500 after losing to Houston — and out of the Play-In at the moment.
This embedded content is not available in your region.
Dallas, even before Luka Dončić’s wrist injury cost him time, was…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/kevin-durants-remarkable-return-provides-spark-for-the-suns-in-a-wide-open-west-170755849.html
Author : Yahoo Sports
Publish date : 2024-11-27 17:07:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
