“Rules.. That Don’t Apply To Kevin Durant”: Suns Coach Laments Over Officiating Injustice With NBA’s #8 Scorer

Grayson Allen thanked Devin Booker tonight after the 115-102 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. Booker, in plenty of pick and rolls, dimed Allen for open looks around the arc. As a result, Allen sank 9 long rangers, tying his career high of 32 points. On the other hand, Book tallied an 18 point and 11 assist double double, while Kevin Durant scored 22 points. However, the win did not come easy for the Suns. They were bullied in the paint, as Sixers outscored them 50-36.

Moreover, the Phoenix Suns turned the ball over a whopping 23 times; their most this season. When addressing the same in the post-game conference, Suns head coach Frank Vogel departed away from Philly’s league leading ability to force turnovers. Slashing the team for their style of play, Vogel said, “Quite frankly, they foul. They foul all night long.” Moreover, commenting on the constant hackling of Durant, Vogel voiced, “the freedom of movement rules that are in place don’t apply to Kevin Durant, apparently. Because he can’t take two steps without re-routing off of his spot. It’s a freaking joke.”

Had it not been for Booker’s (11) and Bradley Beal‘s (7) assists, the game could have seen a different result for the Suns. With that, Frank Vogel also addressed the team’s issue with sharing the ball. However, he urges the referees to notice the subtle details on Philly’s end of the floor; especially when the playoffs hang in the balance and each injury can potentially decide the fate of their season.

Guarding Durant can be similar to finding balance while slacklining two mountains. His near 7ft frame and fiery shooting touch can make defenders pay with every misstep. A testament to that is the recent game against Philly. Regardless of Vogel’s claims of the physical troubles, the Slim Reaper scored 22 points on 55.5% shooting against Philly.

Kevin Durant climbs up all-time scoring ladder

Despite the opposing schemes to contain him, Kevin Durant continues to size defenders up. In his latest feat, KD, at the beginning of the third quarter, hit a desperation two to surpass Shaquille O’Neal on the all-time scoring list.

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Durant entered the night 9 points shy of holding the 8th spot and surpassed O’Neal in 159 less games played. Now, with the total of 28,610 career points, KD’s next climb comes in Wilt Chamberlain; 2,809 points ahead. While Durant shares the offensive load with Booker, he has now overtaken 5 players on the coveted list this year, including Elvin Hayes, Hakeem Olajuwon, Moses Malone, and Carmelo Anthony.

However, it seems like he will have to wait to mark his next climb. Given Durant’s 27.7 point average this season, and anticipating a similar burst for the next campaign, KD will surpass Chamberlain sometime in the 2025-26 NBA season.