Suns Duo of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant Makes History
It's been nearly a week since the Phoenix Suns have added Kevin Durant to their starting lineup, and it's hard to argue with the results.
The Suns are 3-0 since Durant's return from a MCL sprain, possessing a 36-29 record. While their ten game deficit from the No. 1 seed will be tough to overcome in the 17 remaining games left of the regular season, Phoenix is a mere 3.0 and 2.5 games back from the No. 2 (Memphis Grizzlies) and No. 3 (Sacramento Kings) seeds in the West.
Phoenix's latest victory over the Dallas Mavericks saw Durant sink a game winning shot with roughly ten seconds to go before securing a rebound and nailing a pair of free throws to officially put the nail in the coffin.
Durant's been on fire since joining the Suns:
37 PTS, 7 REB, 3 AST, 1 BLK
20 PTS, 9 REB, 6 AST, 1 BLK, 1 STL
23 PTS, 6 REB, 2 AST, 2 BLK
Star shooting guard Devin Booker has been the main beneficiary of Durant's presence, winning the Western Conference Player of the Week award after these performances:
36 PTS, 5 REB, 10 AST, 1 STL
35 PTS, 5 REB, 6 AST, 1 BLK, 1 STL
37 PTS, 6 REB, 7 AST, 2 BLK
There's an argument that the duo of Durant-Booker is the most lethal in the NBA. According to Elias Sports, the pairing's 188 combined points is the fourth-most by a pair of teammates in their first three games together, all falling behind NBA legend Wilt Chamberlain and various teammates:
“I feel like I fit in pretty well,” said Durant last week. “Everybody out there was trying to make me as comfortable as possible – coaches and players as well. So, I’ve just got to keep grinding. This jersey will start to look normal on me as games go on, as we start to keep building who we are as a team."
After his dagger vs. Dallas, Durant said the excitement will eventually wear off and things will get back to normal.
“I feel like we all bring energy to the game,” he said. “I’m just another guy that’s bringing something different. I’m sure there’s some level of excitement because something new has come into the building, but I’m sure after a while, all that stuff will wear off and get back to normal.”
There's a few things that are considered normal in the NBA, but the duo of Booker-Durant is anything but that. The Suns hope that continues into the postseason.
