Last night, the Phoenix Suns lost 104-102 to the bottom-seeded San Antonio Spurs. The setback ended Phoenix’s three-game winning streak. That creates concerns for Kevin Durant and his teammates, especially given that they face the league’s toughest schedule for their remaining ten regular season games. Following the Suns’ loss to the Spurs without Victor Wembanyama, Kevin Durant issued a severe demand to his teammates before returning to the court.
KD was not thrilled with the Suns’ loss last night and said this before their next game: “We know what needs to be done. Conversation is wonderful, communication is cool, letting everyone know what we need to do out there, but we still have to put our bodies to work. There’s a difference between going to accomplish something and simply talking about it.” Durant feels that if his team cannot execute the game plan on the court, everything they say to one another is meaningless.
Durant stated that the Suns need improve their transition defense and limit turnovers during the game. Their lack of defense was clear in yesterday’s defeat against the Spurs. Even though San Antonio was missing its greatest player, Victor Wembanyama, the Suns were unable to limit their attack in crunch time. Kevin Durant and his teammates rallied from a 9-point deficit in the final 5 minutes, taking a 1-point lead with 100-99 less than 3 minutes remaining. However, Jeremy Sochan’s dagger three in the final minute dashed the Suns’ hopes and proved to be the game-winner for Tottenham. KD and Booker had numerous opportunities to tie or win the game but failed.
Can Kevin Durant and his teammates make it through their grueling schedule?
The San Antonio Spurs were statistically Phoenix’s easiest opponents in the final 11 games. Kevin Durant and his teammates will face some of the league’s finest teams in the last ten games, making it a hard challenge. They’ll compete against premier clubs including the Nuggets, Clippers, Timberwolves, Thunder, Cavaliers, Pelicans, and Kings. All of the Suns’ remaining opponents have better records than them.
The Suns are presently eighth in the Western Conference standings, with a 42-30 record. Kevin Durant and his teammates’ difficult schedule may be their undoing, as the Lakers are on the verge of surpassing them for eighth place. The Lakers have the league’s seventh easiest remaining 11-game schedule and trail Phoenix by only three wins. If LeBron James and company continue on a hot streak to finish the season, they could easily beat the Suns and secure a position in the play-in round. Do you think the Suns can compete despite the league’s hardest schedule?