CHARLOTTE, NC — During the 2019 All-Star Weekend in Charlotte, Kevin Durant reiterated his decision to work with Kyrie Irving when they both became free agents the following summer. Four years later, a new partnership was presented in the same arena, this time with hopes of a better result.
Playing for the first time as a member of the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night, Durant showed early signs of the potential for the devastating 2-1 punch he can form with Devin Booker in a 105-91 win to defeat the Charlotte five to catch Hornets. Game winning streak.
“I’ve played almost 1,000 basketball games, but today I was nervous,” Durant told Bally Sports Arizona after the game.
Durant scored 23 points in just 27 minutes, his sweater looking rust-free having been out since Jan. 8 while recovering from a right MCL sprain he sustained while he was with the Brooklyn Nets. But it was the playmaker combination with Booker that made the biggest impression.
Editors Favorites
1 relatives
When they were on the floor together, Booker had a great all-around game with 37 points, six rebounds and seven assists to form the kind of wing-scoring duo the Durant acquisition was about. But when they got separated, the Suns’ game plan came into focus with them.
In both halves, Durant stretched with four benchers, and both times the score went from near double-digit Phoenix leads as he drilled a number of his signature midrange jumpers. He finished the game after shooting 10 of 15.
Those stretches essentially made it a stress-free win, as the Suns were never behind and Durant finished team-best at +13 plus/minus.
With Durant sitting, who played four six-minute shifts and then the last three minutes as part of a one-minute restriction, it was Booker who wanted to work – he made 15 of 26 shots while working off Chris Paul, who had 11 assists, as usual.
“To get where we need to go, we have to be efficient basketball players,” Durant said of his pairing with Booker, whom he described as a “pure basketball player” and “one of a kind.”
Once the minute limit is lifted and Durant’s minutes at Booker’s side can increase — that seems to be coach Monty Williams’ plan — the team’s full potential can be unleashed.
However, it wasn’t flawless. Concerns about the Suns’ top-heavy potential were already evident when one other player, Deandre Ayton, was in double figures with 16 points.
Paul, who has a bad filming season, had another bad night of filming, going 1 of 8. Josh Okogie, who retained his starting spot averaging 18.5 points after getting an improved role after the Durant trade, scored just four points .
The Suns also hinted at what could be a problem getting to the foul line sometimes with three players who specialize in mid-range shots. The Hornets, who are missing star LaMelo Ball after suffering a fractured ankle earlier this week, drew 13 more free throws.
Still, the Durant rollout was a success on a calculated plan that included extra practice and conditioning time and a game against one of the league’s weaker teams.
Kelly Oubre Jr. led Charlotte with 26 points but had only 9 of 24 shooting while the Suns held the Hornets to 36% shooting.