Suns eradicated from playoffs with ’embarrassing’ 25-point loss

PHOENIX — For the second straight season, the Phoenix Suns have been eradicated at residence in humiliating trend.

Phoenix’s 125-100 loss to the Denver Nuggets in Thursday night time’s Sport 6 of the Western Convention semifinals was eerily much like the Dallas Mavericks’ Sport 7 dominance in Footprint Middle in the identical spherical.

The halftime deficit — 30 factors — was even equivalent. So was the response from Suns followers, lots of whom loudly booed on the half and headed for the exits with loads of time remaining within the fourth quarter.

“It sucked,” mentioned Kevin Durant, whose arrival in a midseason commerce made the Suns the betting favourite to win the West. “It was a foul feeling. Embarrassing.”

Devin Booker left the sector with out chatting with the media, an especially uncharacteristic transfer for the face of the Suns’ franchise.

Booker averaged 33.7 factors per sport this postseason however had a poor efficiency because the Suns have been eradicated. He scored 12 factors on 4-of-13 capturing, a detailed facsimile of his off night time in final 12 months’s elimination loss to the Mavs (11 factors, 3-of-14 capturing).

The Suns, who have been lacking starters Chris Paul (groin) and Deandre Ayton (ribs), turned the third group in NBA historical past eradicated from the playoffs in consecutive seasons with 25-plus-point losses, in response to ESPN Stats & Data analysis.

Suns coach Monty Williams acknowledged that it is a “unhealthy feeling” to be eradicated by blowouts in consecutive years however downplayed the hyperlink between the lopsided losses.

“I imply, it is two completely different teams,” Williams mentioned. “Final 12 months’s group was completely completely different than this 12 months’s group. Final 12 months’s group was extra of a ball-movement, body-movement group. This 12 months we’re extra pick-and-roll oriented and iso oriented, so it is two completely different conditions altogether. That is one thing that we want to try to see what sorts of combos of gamers we’ve to suit the fashion of play. But it surely’s onerous to make assessments about these sorts of issues 20 minutes after a loss.”

Durant, who had excessive reward for two-time MVP Nikola Jokic and the top-seeded Nuggets, struggled by his requirements within the collection. He averaged 29.5 factors per sport however shot solely 45.3% from the ground and 22.2% from 3-point vary, ending by scoring 23 factors on 8-of-19 capturing in Sport 6.

Durant, who was restricted to solely eight regular-season video games with the Suns due to accidents, mentioned he did not wish to “present context” that may be perceived as an excuse.

“We simply received to be higher subsequent 12 months,” Durant mentioned. “It is onerous proper now to see what the long run will maintain for our group, however we received basis, good infrastructure. We will construct on and transfer on from this and be taught from it and get higher from it. I am certain because the summer season and offseason begins, we’ll determine that out slightly bit extra.”