The Phoenix Suns have already picked up two early-season wins over the rival Dallas Mavericks, with the Suns winning 114-113 in their latest encounter. During the hard-fought contest, Kevin Durant got extremely upset with Jusuf Nurkic for not spotting a wide-open Royce O’Neale in the corner. This led to Durant cursing Nurkic out in an attempt to bring better play out from him.
“Hey! We’re a f***ing team. Pass the f***ing ball to Royce. He’s wide open. Then you get frustrated and get a tech? Come on. Move past that sh*t.”
LEAKED Audio Of Kevin Durant Cursing At Jusuf Nurkic👀:
“We’re a f*cking team! Pass the f*cking ball, he’s wide open” pic.twitter.com/qNK6P7FUDk
— LegendZ (@legendz_prod) November 11, 2024
Durant was forced to pass the ball to Nurkic as Luka Doncic and Daniel Gafford doubled him on the perimeter, prompting Spencer Dinwiddie to step in and stop Nurkic.
After losing his dribble due to aggressive defense from Dinwiddie, Nurkic tries to take advantage of the mismatch but has three Mavs defenders on him with Gafford, Dinwiddie, and Klay Thompson. This leads to O’Neale being wide-open in the corner and screaming for the ball before Nurkic throws up a bad contested layup which he missed.
Nurkic also picks up a technical foul on the ensuing Mavericks’ fast-break, prompting Durant to tell him off for not trusting his teammates. This is a great sign of leadership by Durant, who has had these abilities questioned by media members for almost his entire career.
Durant put up 26 points in this win over the Mavs while Nurkic contributed 15 points and 10 rebounds. They’re currently tied with the Golden State Warriors as the No. 2 team in the West, with both franchises having an 8-2 record.
Nurkic is averaging 9.9 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 3.0 turnovers this season, struggling to find the consistency needed to be an ever-present part of the rotation, as Phoenix has closed out games without Nurkic at multiple points this season due to spotty decision-making and form. Durant is averaging 27.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 3.4 assists as the Suns scoring leader, but is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury.
Encouraging stronger teammate play is a great sign to gauge how locked in Durant is. Some might have a problem with him addressing a teammate like that in public due to the possibility of cameras picking up the conversation, but Durant did what needed to be done at the moment. The Suns ultimately won the game, and that’s the goal all the players should be working towards anyway.
Durant is expected to miss a few weeks of action., with the Suns falling to a 118-127 OT loss to the Sacramento Kings at home last night due to Durant’s absence. That was their last game at home before a four-game road trip which begins on Tuesday against the Utah Jazz before heading to Sacramento for a rematch with the Kings.
The final two games on the road trip will pit the Suns against bonafide contenders like the OKC Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves. These will be hard matchups to win without Durant, but the Suns will remain confident in the abilities of Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, and the rest of the Suns’ rotation.
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