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Kevin Durant Reacts to Scoring Career High 55-Points in Loss

Kevin Durant's 55 points were not enough for the Brooklyn Nets

Joey Linn

Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
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Kevin Durant had a career night against the Atlanta Hawks, but it wasn't enough to get a win. In the biggest game of the season, Brooklyn came up short in Atlanta. With the loss, the Nets fall back into a tie with Charlotte for the 9th-seed. After the game, Durant shared his thoughts.

On if this loss is more deflating because of his career-high, Durant said, "Every loss is deflating. I ain't even worried about that. I'm just mad at the loss. I'm glad I shot the ball well, I mean 8 threes, career high. But I wish we would've came out with a W."

The Nets and Hawks came into this game with identical records, meaning the winner would pull a full game in front of the loser. The difference between 8th and 9th is massive, as the 8th seed receives two chances to make it out of the play-in tournament, while the 9th seed faces sudden elimination.

While there was a distinct free throw disparity in this game, with Atlanta taking 49 free throws to Brooklyn's 19, Kevin Durant did not use that as an excuse. "It's not cause of the refs. It's cause we're reaching and being undisciplined and just playing too aggressive," Durant said. "That's the game. They shot 42% from the field which is great defense... it's just fouls. We can't do that if we want to be a winning team."

While the Nets still have games left to sneak into the 8th seed, Atlanta controls their own destiny. Should the Hawks win the remainder of their games, even with Brooklyn also winning out, the Nets would finish 9th. That is why this game was so crucial, and despite KD's career high, Brooklyn couldn't get the job done.

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Joey Linn
JOEY LINN

Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's FanNation. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined Sports Illustrated's FanNation to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams during his time in school. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts, combined with his excellence in the classroom, earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Joey covers the NBA full-time across multiple platforms, primarily serving as a credentialed Clippers beat writer.

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