The Phoenix Suns recently faced off against the Oklahoma City Thunder. While various other teams have been finding success in their last-ditch effort to secure a spot for the playoffs, the Suns have been trouble maintaining their high position. The same was seen during the recent game as well. Suns power forward Kevin Durant led the offensive charge against his former team and performed well. However, the OKC made a charge of their own through Chet Holmgren and Josh Giddey. In the end, the Suns lost by a score of 128-103.

During the post-game press conference, Durant addressed the recent loss in front of certain media members. By keeping his roster’s offensive play on the side, the player highlighted that “Our 1-on-1 defense wasn’t as good as it should’ve been. They got around us a lot.” The player was disappointed that their rivals got the better of them for the third time in a row. Despite the outcome, however, Durant believed that there wasn’t much of a lack of effort from his teammates’ side. He continued his statement by saying “I wouldn’t go that far to say it’s not a good matchup. They beat us three times. It was tough, but I like our chances against anybody regardless.”

The Suns’ lack of a proper 1-on-1 defense was quite noticeable during the game. With their star player Shai-Gilgeous Alexander being on the sidelines due to an injury, the entire Oklahoma roster seemed to have taken upon themselves to squash the Suns by putting up a stern defence. From Chet Holmgren blocking Isaiah Thomas’ layup to Jalen Williams doing the same against Royce O’Neal, the OKC seemed to be on fire. If there was any doubt earlier about the young roster and their “lack of experience”, the same would have been forgotten through their recent performance.

Kevin Durant believes that the young OKC roster will be “fine” during the playoffs

It’s been 8 years since Kevin Durant bid adieu to the Oklahoma City Thunder and decided to try his skills out with other teams. Despite this, the player continues to keep himself updated on the latest happenings around his former team. When the OKC entered the ongoing season with their roster filled with young and new players, many people had their doubts. However, after having established a 51-22 win record, the Thunder have not only moved past those doubts but also carved a clear path towards the playoffs. And Durant was amongst the first to congratulate them on doing so.

Prior to their recent faceoff, the 35-year-old addressed the criticism around the OKC by stating “There is more at stake in the playoffs, more people watching, criticizing and praising you. At the end of the day, it’s hoops. We practice hoops every day. So I think the young teams that keep it at basketball, and not worry about the lights and what that time means to everybody else and just keep it at hoops, those are the ones that succeed. I think [this Thunder team] is locked in and just focusing on the game so they’ll be fine”. Durant further elaborated on his praise by stating that the current Thunder roster “play with energy, force and intensity for 48 minutes. Even with a lack of experience that can help you in many different areas just playing hard. I think that is what we did back in the day too”.

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The Suns may get another chance to face the OKC if both of them make it to the playoffs. If such a situation arises, then Kevin Durant and his team must be sure to bring their A-Game along with them.

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