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WATCH: Kevin Durant reacts to his game-winner to give Suns 5th-straight victory

Kevin Durant meets with the media after he put the Phoenix Suns on his back to lead them to their fifth-straight victory, a 118-116 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.

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With 24 seconds to go, Durant, who finished with a season-high 35 points on 14-of-20 shooting, six assists and four rebounds, put Phoenix ahead by two with a layup after the Suns grabbed an offensive rebound off his miss earlier in the possession. After the layup, the 76ers elected to not call timeout and Paul George missed the game-tying basket and Phoenix walked out with the victory.

This shot came right after Durant gave the Suns, who trailed by nine with five minutes to go, the lead with a mid-range shot with a minute remaining. Durant scored 15 points in the fourth quarter alone.

The Suns improved to 6-1 with the victory, as they keep finding ways to win every night no matter what the circumstances are.

Here are some key quotes by Durant from the press conference (via Suns):

  • On the last play of the game: “We had proper spacing when I got the ball. First of all, Grayson (Allen) with the incredible offensive rebound. I think I might have shot a quick three there, but I was feeling good about myself, so I pulled that one. But Grayson made a great offensive rebound, which kind of set us up. Once you get the offensive rebound, they’re scrambling a little bit. So, we got (Guerschon) Yabusele on me, and that’s the matchup we wanted. He’s the center, so there is not really much rim protection back there. I just decided to drive. I think that Book (Devin Booker) was right next to me on the wing. That cut out from the wing allowed me to get some space so they can’t help off and help me in that driving lane. Stuff that we emphasize every day with spacing and was a good play for us.”
  • On advantages with size and speed for making plays during the game: “It is just usually about the matchup that he wanted. (Tyrese) Maxey, PG (Paul George) had some fouls early, so we knew they’d be a little bit less aggressive. They’re really good with their hands and good at being physical defenders. With two fouls early, three fouls in the second quarter, and then you scared that fourth one in the third. They played a little bit looser on defense, and we wanted to attack them and put pressure on them to cause some help in the lane, so we can kick out to get some good shots.”
  • On getting shots off with the flow of the game: “It really doesn’t even matter where; you shouldn’t worry about me getting my shots. I’m gonna figure it out. I’m gonna get my shots. I don’t need plays calling for me. I don’t need my teammates to force me the ball. We just play together, random and spontaneous, the ball will find me. So, I don’t want you to think about it too much, where I’m getting the ball or the sets that they need to run for me. It’s gonna happen in the flow if we all just play together. I think that’s the good thing we’ve been doing throughout the whole season.”

WATCH: Kevin Durant’s late-game heroics lead Suns to 5th-straight win

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Brendan Mau is a senior writer covering the Phoenix Suns and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @Brendan_Mau

 

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