Getty Suns stars Chris Paul and Kevin Durant
After the Phoenix Suns defeated the Denver Nuggets on April 6, superstar small forward Kevin Durant said it’s “very important” for point guard Chris Paul to stay aggressive on offense.
Paul scored 25 points against the Nuggets while hitting a career-high seven 3-pointers.
“It’s very important,” Durant said. “We just need CP to read the game like he always been reading it since he was in college, high school. So whatever the game tells him to do, he gonna go out there and do it. Tonight, makes seven 3s, only two assists. We so used to him gettin’ close to double-digit assists every game, but it’s good when you’re unpredictable.”
The Suns beat the Nuggets by a final score of 119-115. Durant had 29 points to lead Phoenix in scoring. The Suns are a perfect 8-0 with KD in the lineup. The future Hall of Famer is averaging 26.0 points and 6.4 rebounds with Phoenix.
“It’s a whole new season (playoffs) about to start, so what we doin’ right now, it’s cool for record-wise, but we wanna keep building good habits and stay healthy,” Durant said. “That’s the only thing that’s important to me.”
Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich Issues Strong Statement on Suns
San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich told Doug Haller of The Athletic that the Suns have what it takes to win the championship this season.
“You know, with Chris (Paul) being the point along with veterans like Book (Devin Booker) and KD (Kevin Durant), they can get it together,” Popovich said. “He’s a great leader. KD and Book know what it takes, Monty (Williams) and his staff do a great job. They would probably like to have a few more games to get a rhythm down, but they can still get it done, without a doubt.”
The Suns are in fourth place in the Western Conference standings with a record of 45-35. They will face the fifth seed in the first round of the playoffs.
Analyst: The Warriors Are the Suns’ Most Difficult Possible Playoff Matchup in the 1st Round
Kellan Olson of ArizonaSports.com believes the Golden State Warriors would be the Suns’ most difficult possible playoff matchup in the first round. The Dubs defeated the Boston Celtics in the 2022 NBA Finals in six games.
“Pretty self-explanatory here why Golden State runs away with this category compared to the field,” Olson wrote. “It’s a top-three dynasty in the history of the sport with a few accentuating pieces that have been along for previous rides, like Payton for last year’s championship and Kevon Looney since 2018. The Suns are the better team. But when Phoenix is up 2-1 in the series and has a five-point lead in the fourth quarter on the road, Golden State will both not be fazed and know exactly what it is doing on the floor during those pivotal half-dozen moments that swing a series, locking into a level that brings out title-caliber basketball. Are the Suns capable of achieving that? We’re just going to wait and see.”
Phoenix will have home-court advantage in the first round.