“We let ourselves down”: Kevin Durant’s candid reflection following the loss

The Phoenix Suns’ challenging season reached a new low on Monday (AEDT) following a disheartening 116-98 defeat at home to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

“We certainly didn’t meet our own expectations,” commented All-Star forward Kevin Durant. “We’ve let down our fans and ourselves with our performance. I want to see us improve.”

However, there’s little indication that this improvement is forthcoming.

With this latest loss, Phoenix has now dropped 11 of their last 14 games, bringing their season record to 28-33.

The team now trails the Dallas Mavericks by four games for the final position in the Western Conference play-in tournament, meaning they’ll need a small miracle over their remaining 21 games to even have a shot at making the finals.

This is a far cry from the expectations the Suns had when the season kicked off in October. They entered the campaign with ambitions for a championship, bolstered by a formidable roster featuring Durant, four-time All-Star Devin Booker, and three-time All-Star Bradley Beal.

Yet, since a promising 8-1 start, the team has struggled, compiling a 20-31 record since 13 November.

Although injuries have played a part, the Suns were at full strength on Monday (AEDT) and still succumbed to a heavy defeat at home.

“We need to go on a winning streak, but it must start somewhere,” said coach Mike Budenholzer. “It’s clear that we are aware of our situation in the standings, and we need to make changes.”

The Suns held a slim lead of 51-49 at half-time, but the Timberwolves surged ahead to take an 83-72 advantage into the final period.

Things took a drastic turn for the worse for Phoenix in the fourth quarter. The team seemed to lack effort in the late stages, resulting in nine turnovers, several of which led directly to easy baskets for Minnesota. Beal was penalised with a flagrant one foul for an aggressive push on Anthony Edwards during a dunk attempt.

Scattered boos erupted from the home crowd during the closing minutes.

The Timberwolves, with Edwards leading the charge with 44 points, proved to be the dominant force. Julius Randle made a welcome return, contributing 20 points after more than a month sidelined with a groin injury. Donte DiVincenzo added to the Suns’ woes, sinking eight three-pointers, while the Phoenix defence appeared uninterested in defending him at times.

It’s worth noting that Minnesota was the same team that eliminated the Suns in the first round of the playoffs last season, and they have swept Phoenix in all three of their regular-season encounters this year.

“When we face adversity, our team tends to start floating,” Durant reflected. “That’s a difficult situation to handle.”

Phoenix matched their season high with 22 turnovers, allowing Minnesota to score a staggering 40 points off those turnovers. Durant, Booker, and Beal collectively accounted for 14 of those turnovers.

“That’s the reason for our loss,” Durant stated. “Forty points off turnovers is hard to overcome. They didn’t dominate us on the boards; we simply handed them the ball.”