“ I think we started the quarter well, we just had a bad two-minute stretch of basketball. ” And Kevin Durant knows it that two minutes in today's basketball is very long and enough to change a game.
His Suns experienced it again last night on the Clippers floor, like against Portland in December. “ We were playing well and then a few lost balls here, missed shots there… The problems are fueled », Summarizes the Phoenix star, author of 20 of his 30 points in the first period.
However, they had received a first “warning” from Kawhi Leonard and the opposing defense at the start of this period. A too-soft pass from “KD” was intercepted by his Clippers counterpart, leading to a counter-attack ending with a dunk from Norman Powell.
Three possessions still separated the two teams a few seconds later, when Kevin Durant converted two free throws (103-96). This is where the Californian wave started. While Kawhi Leonard beat Kevin Durant on a pull-up, Bradley Beal stood still on the following possession: six long seconds in the same zone, ball in hand, without moving and without any partner initiating anything. it would be.
Lost Balloon Festival
Josh Okogie will eventually come and set a screen, the former Wizards star will get confused with his dribbling: another lost ball. After a winning basket from James Harden, Devin Booker was also caught by the trap set by the spider Leonard (five interceptions) on a two-hander. This new “turnover” was sanctioned by a tap from Daniel Theis with a missed 3-point shot from “The Klaw”.
The same Theis will then intercept much too easily a pass from Grayson Allen, who is off on a backline adventure. This time, Norman Powell will be rewarded in transition by James Harden in the corner. The Suns’ response? A heroic shot attempt by Kevin Durant with first intention at 3-point: a brick.
And that's how the Californians turned the game around, with a 15-0 in a few minutes (118-96), and how the Suns were severely derailed. “ We experienced a period of shortage in attack, they are in a better rhythm than us at the moment “, can only observe Frank Vogelwho sought to play “small ball” in the second half, without Jusuf Nurkic.
Defensive pressure close to the playoffs
“ We could sometimes simplify our attack a little, simply play to our individual strengths. We had a solid fourth quarter, making quick decisions, starting our offense earlier on the clock. We have to stick to this kind of thing », Claims Kevin Durant, in reference to the lack of rhythm of his team which played, like the Clippers, in “back-to-back”.
The winger also believes that his team faces a lot of pressure from opponents: “ Because they know that by letting us play freely, we can score a lot of points. We almost find ourselves facing a physical level and coverage close to the playoffs. »
Frank Vogel, whose team only scored 20 points in the last quarter (compared to 37 conceded), said he “ confidence in situations in which » he places the members of his “Big Three”: “ They will more often create the game than the other way around. The season is long, it will take time. That's only six games with these three together. »
Believing to have already seen “ brilliant sequences » with them, the Arizona technician also has a word for the players surrounding the three stars: “ They continue to refine their role, in terms of the shots we want them to take and how we can give the ball back to our best scorers. » The Suns must therefore find balance, which Kevin Durant is well aware of: “ Frankly, we haven't got everything in place yet, but I have the feeling that we're moving in the right direction. »
| Shots | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Bp | Int | Ct | Party | Pts |
| Kevin Durant | 29 | 37.1 | 52.3 | 47.3 | 87.5 | 0.4 | 5.9 | 6.4 | 6.0 | 3.3 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 1.8 | 29.6 |
| Devin Booker | 27 | 35.9 | 47.6 | 38.1 | 88.1 | 0.8 | 4.2 | 5.0 | 7.9 | 2.9 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 3.3 | 26.4 |
| Bradley Beal | 12 | 30.4 | 48.1 | 31.7 | 79.5 | 0.8 | 3.2 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 2.3 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 2.3 | 16.5 |
| Grayson Allen | 31 | 33.5 | 50.3 | 47.4 | 89.1 | 0.8 | 3.4 | 4.2 | 2.9 | 1.5 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 2.3 | 13.6 |
| Eric Gordon | 30 | 31.4 | 46.5 | 40.9 | 73.3 | 0.3 | 1.8 | 2.1 | 2.4 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 1.4 | 13.6 |
| Jusuf Nurkic | 34 | 28.0 | 48.6 | 26.7 | 71.7 | 2.8 | 7.6 | 10.5 | 3.6 | 2.0 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 3.4 | 12.6 |
| Drew Eubanks | 32 | 16.3 | 58.9 | 100.0 | 76.0 | 1.4 | 2.9 | 4.3 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 0.9 | 1.8 | 6.0 |
| Chimezie Metu | 26 | 13.5 | 50.5 | 29.2 | 87.1 | 0.8 | 2.3 | 3.1 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 1.1 | 5.9 |
| Josh Okogie | 30 | 19.8 | 38.8 | 24.6 | 77.0 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 3.0 | 1.4 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 1.7 | 5.7 |
| Jordan Goodwin | 32 | 16.5 | 36.7 | 29.1 | 85.2 | 1.2 | 2.4 | 3.6 | 2.3 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 1.3 | 5.5 |
| Nassir Little | 23 | 15.6 | 48.4 | 32.0 | 84.2 | 0.6 | 2.0 | 2.6 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 1.3 | 5.2 |
| Keita Bates Diop | 26 | 17.6 | 37.9 | 26.5 | 73.5 | 0.8 | 2.2 | 3.0 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 4.8 |
| Yuta Watanabe | 23 | 15.5 | 34.4 | 32.4 | 69.2 | 0.5 | 1.3 | 1.8 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 1.3 | 4.1 |
| Bowl Bowl | 11 | 6.2 | 75.0 | 60.0 | 66.7 | 0.6 | 1.3 | 1.9 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 0.8 | 3.2 |
| Udoka Azubuike | 9 | 8.2 | 76.5 | 0.0 | 28.6 | 0.9 | 1.7 | 2.6 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 1.2 | 3.1 |
| Saben Lee | 9 | 7.1 | 44.4 | 0.0 | 73.3 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 3.0 |
