Getty Chris Paul (left) and Deandre Ayton of the Phoenix Suns.
The Phoenix Suns are starting to put everything together at the perfect time of the year. On Sunday, April 2, the Suns took care of business in an impressive 128-118 road win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. The win was Phoenix’s fifth straight as they look to generate momentum heading into the playoffs.
Speaking postgame with Duane Rankin of AZCentral.com, big man Deandre Ayton talked about the improvements the Suns have shown.
“I think defense was a little better today,” said Ayton, who finished with 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting and 11 rebounds. “We were communicating a lot and we were accountable. Guys held other guys accountable and guys who made mistakes held themselves accountable. It was one of those games where, we took a step in the right direction, for sure. We took a few steps in the right direction.”
“We took a few steps in the right direction.”
Deandre Ayton after #Suns win at OKC as he went for 19 points and on 8-of-12 shooting and 11 boards.
Phoenix Stays Hot With Kevin Durant in the Lineup
Since Kevin Durant has returned to the lineup, the Phoenix Suns have rattled off three consecutive wins. That means that the Suns have gone an impressive 6-0 with Durant on the floor. Against the Thunder, he had a team-high 35 points on 13-of-21 shooting, five rebounds and five assists.
With Durant, the team has looked more dangerous than ever. He is averaging 26.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.7 assists in his six games as a Sun, according to PHNX Suns writer Gerald Bourguet. He’s also shooting 60.4% from the field and 51.9% from 3-point range.
Rankin, in his April 3 Suns notebook on AZCentral.com, wrote that “action between Durant and Ayton is something to watch moving forward” after the two successfully executed a pick-and-roll against the Thunder.
“The Suns haven’t fully explored this, but with Durant’s passing ability, Ayton could really eat playing off him,” Rankin wrote.
Kevin Durant in 6 games with the Suns so far:
26.8 PPG
6.5 RPG
3.7 APG
1.3 BPG
60.4 FG%
51.9 3P%
72.3 TS%
6-0 record
Suns Look to Close Out Season Strong
Durant’s return to the team came at the right time. Phoenix entered the final two weeks of the regular season in control of their own destiny. The team needed to continue to pile up wins to avoid falling from fourth place in the standings, and they did, going 4-0 in the penultimate week and maintaining their hold on fourth place.
But even with the return of Durant, at least one national media outlet does not view the Suns as legitimate contenders for the NBA title. The Athletic classified the Suns as being “on the brink of contention” in a story published April 3.
“It is asking a lot for the Suns to make the massive move like acquiring Kevin Durant at the deadline, have him miss weeks after the trade and try to pack in these few remaining games to getting to championship level basketball,” The Athletic’s Zach Harper wrote. “The depth isn’t quite as extensive as you might hope, but being able to send KD and Devin Booker at opposing teams and daring them to slow it down is quite the card to play.”
At one point, Phoenix found themselves in danger of falling to sixth place in the West. Now that the Suns have started to find their groove, they have created some separation from themselves and the Los Angeles Clippers, who remain in fifth place.
The Suns have a 2.5 game lead in the Western Conference standings over the Clippers with just four games remaining in the regular season. The final week of games will start for Phoenix on Tuesday, April 4 as the San Antonio Spurs will come into town. Phoenix has three more home games remaining on their schedule, as well as one road game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday, April 7.