Getty Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, now of the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks, respectively.
The Phoenix Suns are officially on a roll. They have won three games in a row, and it’s no coincidence when that win streak started. Three games ago, Kevin Durant made his official Suns debut in a win over the Charlotte Hornets, and the Suns have not lost since.
Their most recent win was a tough one over the Dallas Mavericks, which also marked Durant’s first time playing against his former teammate, Kyrie Irving. After the game, however, when Durant was asked about it, he treated the matchup like no big deal.
“No emotions at all. It’s another game. Like I told somebody earlier, most of my career, I played against Kyrie,” Irving said via AZ Central’s Duane Rankin. So, he was on my team for the last couple of years, but the majority of my career I played against him, so I know how that feels. I just think that we both were locked in on the floor. We want to go out there and be the best that we can be. Sometimes you get distracted from hanging out, talking, and catching up on old times with your friends. So we were both locked in, and I’m glad we got the W.”
Phoenix ended up earning the win over the Mavericks, as Durant nailed a big-time shot in the final moments of the contest. The Suns superstar put up impressive numbers in the win, dropping 37 points, seven rebounds, and three assists on 12-of-17 shooting from the floor and 3-of-5 shooting from behind the three-point line.
As for Irving, he also played well. The Mavericks guard put up 30 points, four rebounds, and seven assists on 10-of-19 shooting from the field and 3-of-8 shooting from deep.
Kyrie Irving Sounds Off on Kevin Durant
Ahead of the game between the Suns and Mavericks, Irving had something to say about what it would be like playing against Durant. He said that he was looking forward to competing against his former teammate, as they have played against one another many times in the past.
“Playing against the new-look Suns with KD and I think it’ll be an exciting time for us to compete again, compete against each other,” Irving said via House of Highlights. “That’s my brother for life, again, but when we’re stepping out there I’m looking forward to the competition, the friendly competition.”
Kevin Durant Discusses Suns Debut
In other news, after Durant made his debut for the Suns, he credited a couple of his teammates – Chris Paul and Cameron Payne – for helping him get comfortable on the offensive side of the ball.
“I thought I would be lost on a few plays, a few sets on the defensive side of the ball, but I felt like these last, what, two weeks, a week and a half of practice and being around the guys as constant communication,” Durant said via NBA on ESPN. “CP [Chris Paul], Cam Payne, as the point guards, they’re doing a good job of letting me know where I need to be on a couple of sets I may not know, I may not be familiar with. But defensively, I thought I was in [a] solid position all night.”