Getty Kevin Durant #7 of Team United States high-fives teammate Devin Booker #15.
The Brooklyn Nets (25-13) had their winning streak snapped at 12 games in a 121-112 tilt against the Chicago Bulls. Brooklyn slid to third in the Eastern Conference standings with the loss and a win by the Milwaukee Bucks, though the two teams have the same record.
Star forward Kevin Durant said that he felt the Nets “couldn’t get over the hump” against a “desperate” Bulls team.
Durant dropped 44 points on 68.2% shooting but it was not enough.
He also noted that much of the loss was on the Nets constantly being behind the play defensively adding that teams are always going to be on notice when playing them. But another message which he delivered weeks ago is also making the social media rounds on a day when the Nets were idle.
Devin Booker Quotes Kevin Durant
“Nobody cares. Go to work,” tweeted Phoenix Suns star guard Devin Booker, a reference to Durant’s answer in a pseudo-Q&A from early December in which the latter answered a variety of questions from fans via his Boardroom platform.
Durant divulged why he refers to himself as the slim reaper – an obvious nod to his slender build but also because “I do my best work at night”.
The Nets benefitted from Durant taking his game to another level during their run.
Including the loss to Chicago, Durant is averaging 30.8 points on 72.4% true shooting with 6.7 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.1 blocks, and 1.0 steals since November 27 during a span that has seen the Nets go 16-2 and threaten to overtake the Boston Celtics for the top spot in the East, a lead that has since grown to 1.5 games in Boston’s favor.
And the foul! KD makes it look easy! #NETSonYES
Booker’s Suns are clinging onto the eight-seed in the Western Conference having lost four straight while the All-Star guard has missed the last five games with a groin injury that had already cost him four of the previous seven contests and could cost several more weeks.
Phoenix has gone 3-7 in their last 10 games while the Golden State Warriors are doing their best to survive without Stephen Curry who has been out since mid-December with a shoulder injury.
The Warriors have gone 6-4 without Curry to pull even on the year with the Suns at 20-19.
Conversely, the Suns have gone 2-8 in the games Booker has missed. It’s a tough scene for a team that was in the NBA Finals just two years ago although they might have already been regressing, losing in the second round last season. Still, Booker can look to Durant’s comments on what has helped the Nets to get through the tough times in the Valley of the Sun.
It is also possible Booker’s tweet was in reference to the release of the initial All-Star fan voting that has Booker ranked eighth among guards in the West.
Durant leads the East in votes while LeBron James commands the other top spot.
Brooklyn Is No Longer Broken
Much like Phoenix has experienced, Brooklyn dealt with off-court drama and absences on the court in the earlier portions of the season. They have gotten healthier as the season has gone on which, along with the coaching change, has contributed heavily to their recent success.
“I felt like we didn’t have an identity to start the season,” Durant said after the Nets’ 108-107 win over the Hawks on December 28. “We figuring out our identity as a team and you walk into every game believing that, alright, if we stick to this template and to this structure that we have we’ll be fine regardless of what goes on in the game.”
It is difficult to find your identity when key players are missing let alone the three-time All-Star face of the franchise.
If Booker is finding inspiration in Durant’s words, perhaps those will keep his outlook positive.