Phoenix Suns superstar Kevin Durant meets with the media following the Suns’ 115-112 victory over the Miami Heat, as Phoenix came back from down 15 to pick up its sixth-straight win and tie a franchise record with a 7-1 start.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Durant remains inevitable in the clutch. After 15 fourth quarter points last game, including the game-winner, Durant scored 11 of his game-high 32 points in the final period and sealed the victory with a mid-range jumper.
This was the last matchup of a three-game homestand for the Suns, who will next travel to play the Dallas Mavericks Friday night.
Here are some key quotes and clips from Durant’s press conference:
- On the run in the third quarter: “Yeah, that was huge. I think that was the game right there. They were up 15 and we cut that lead pretty quickly. No turnovers kept them in the game. They had 20 points off our turnovers. That’s what kept them going. That’s the stat that stood out to me. But for the most part, defensively, holding them to 43% shooting. They made some threes tonight, but for the most part, I think we saw a good job on defense. I think our turnovers were the reason why they got a lead, but the end of the third quarter was huge for us.”
- On facing adversity late in the games this season: “We stay poised. We don’t let it rattle us. Guys aren’t panicking on the bench. Coaches aren’t getting up screaming or upset. I think we just try to focus on how to be good the next possession and move from there. Coach called the timeout a couple times when they made some runs, we scored out of those timeouts, and also got the stop. That’s usually the key. So, just staying poised and understand every moment that we can learn from.”
- On what it means to see Jusuf Nurkic stick with it: “I mean, just understand that we got his back, understand that there are gonna be nights that aren’t your nights. There are going to be times where it is your night, like tonight. So, all of us throughout the team understand that we are playing a team game, we play off of each other and open it up for everybody. So, your opportunities may come one game, it may not be there the next game, but that’s just a part of basketball in the season. You just have to be ready to play at all times.”
“We’ve been in a lot of tight, close games. I’m sure Suns fans on edge every game, but I think it’s good for our team that we can play these fourth quarter games and get an understanding for what it’s like in crunch time.”
Kevin Durant after #Suns improve to 6-0 in clutch games https://t.co/dH1dh6wr8A pic.twitter.com/yf0rmweqLv
— Burn City Suns ☀️ (@BurnCitySuns) November 7, 2024
"I think he was incredible tonight, especially defensively."
Everything Kevin Durant said about Jusuf Nurkić, who ended with 20 points (6-8 FG, 3-3 3PT), 18 rebounds and 2 blocks in the #Suns 115-112 win over the #Heat. Nurkić held Bam Adebayo to 12 points on 5-of-21 shooting. pic.twitter.com/88cHenZv48
— Burn City Suns ☀️ (@BurnCitySuns) November 7, 2024
"He is too. He opening the floor for me so much they don't want to leave him or help off of him or Brad or Tyus. They're MFs to deal with too, which is making it easier for me."
Kevin Durant's reaction to Devin Booker's comment on him postgame. #Suns https://t.co/pK1oqNn5MW pic.twitter.com/7grl88PxtX
— Burn City Suns ☀️ (@BurnCitySuns) November 7, 2024
Initial takeaways from Suns’ resilient 115-112 win over Heat
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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
