Suns’ Frank Vogel Defends Kevin Durant With NSFW Message on Officiating

The Phoenix Suns’ coach stood up for his standout forward after a physical matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Phoenix Suns fell to one of the NBA’s top teams on Sunday night, losing 118–110 to the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder. After the loss, Phoenix head coach Frank Vogel vented frustration about what transpired on the court at Footprint Center.

Specifically, Vogel offered some choice words about how Suns star Kevin Durant was officiated in the postgame press conference.

“Yeah, I mean we’ve gotta be better, and I’ll start by saying that they fouled the s— out of Kevin Durant all night,” Vogel said, per Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. “ .... Then every time he tries to get open, he’s being held. It’s something I really want the league to look at.”

"They fouled the shit out of Kevin Durant." Frank Vogel. #Suns pic.twitter.com/adaw0x3Lzz

— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) March 4, 2024

Durant never was able to get into the full rhythm of the game, finishing with 20 points on 6–of–15 shooting with four rebounds and three assists. He also committed five of the Suns’ 21 turnovers.

Suns center Jusuf Nurkić also voiced his displeasure with the officiating. Nurkić recorded 31 rebounds but didn’t attempt a single free throw.

The Thunder were led by another strong performance from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who narrowly missed a triple-double, scoring 35 points with nine assists and eight rebounds.

Phoenix dropped to 35–26 and stands in seventh place in the Western Conference. Oklahoma City claimed the top spot in the West with the win, improving to 42–18.