After a solid win on Saturday against the Detroit Pistons, the Phoenix Suns had a tough time and suffered a 118-92 loss on Monday against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs’ zone defense got the best of Kevin Durant and the rest of the Suns. After the game, Durant spoke highly of Cleveland’s defense, which gave them a difficult time.
“We just can’t pass around the perimeter, that’s what they want us to do,” Durant said via Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. “We still gott try and break the paint, the got guys just sitting in the paint… It’s a tough defense to score on if you thinking a shot is going to come open for you without you pressing the issue. We could’ve drove it a little bit more, but we don’t play against zone every game. We don’t have a zone package yet.
During their game against the Cavs, Durant spent some time playing the center position. According to the 14-time All-Star, he thought the team did well defensively with him as the man in the middle.
“They was small, we go super small like that. We used to have two or three guys 6’3, 6’4, then me at the center. Some of them bounces were just bad bounces, didn’t go our way… When we was small, I think we did a solid job defensive.”
"It's a tough defense to score on if you thinking a shot is going to come open for you without you pressing the issue. We could've drove it a little bit more, but we don't play against zone every game. We don't have a zone package yet." Kevin Durant after Suns loss to Cavs. #Suns pic.twitter.com/wMPcZ8F7DY
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) January 21, 2025
The team’s newest member, Nick Richards, couldn’t capitalize on his performance against the Pistons. In his first game for Phoenix, Richards finished with 21 points and 11 rebounds off the bench. However, the big man, who had his first start for the Suns, had a lowly four points, four rebounds and two blocks against Cleveland.
Kevin Durant tried to lead the team to victory with 23 points, seven rebounds and two blocks. The Suns’ next game will be on Wednesday against the Brooklyn Nets before the team heads back to Phoenix for a three-game homestand.
NBA reporter thinks Kevin Durant might force his way out of Phoenix soon
42 games into the season, the Suns are still finding their rhythm with a 21-21 record. The team has underachieved, even after trading for Richards to help address their frontcourt needs. With their struggles this season, NBA insider Tom Haberstroh predicts that Kevin Durant could force his way out of Phoenix soon.
“It’s only a matter of time before Kevin Durant’s like ‘I’m not going to be sitting here watching the playoffs on my couch again’, so we’ll see what happens in the next month,” Haberstroh said in his appearance at the Kevin O’Connor Show.
Durant is 36 years old and would want to play for a contending team. Right now, however, the Suns look nothing like a team ready to contend for the Larry O’Brien trophy.
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen with Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
