The Phoenix Suns lost 140-129 to the Milwaukee Bucks in a tough cross-conference matchup Sunday afternoon. Phoenix received a double-digit performance from Devin Booker, but Kevin Durant had an off game. Moreover, analysts pointed concern to the Suns' subpar team effort after their disappointing loss.
Bucks loss further shows Suns flaws
Tim Ledgers was disgusted with Phoenix's effort from Saturday's loss.
“I can't take this team seriously when I watched a game yesterday in which I saw a group of guys that could not possibly be less interested in playing basketball than they were yesterday,” Ledgers told JJ Reddick on The Old Man & the Three
Ledgers pointed out how Phoenix gave up 140 points and 24 three-pointers to a Milwaukee team without Giannis Antetokounmpo. He described the Suns' performance as “an absolute joke.”
Phoenix did not play a bad game. However, to Ledgers' point, they could not match the intensity of the Bucks. Milwaukee shot a blazing 58.5% on threes compared to the Suns' 42.5%. In addition, the Bucks aced 14/14 free throws while the Suns went 13/15.
Most importantly, Kevin Durant only scored 11 points during the contest. Durant averages 27.8 points per game through 61 games, so his low-scoring display was concerning.
Will the star duo of Devin Booker and Kevin Durant last?
Bill Simmons expressed reservations about the Devin Booker-Kevin Durant pairing amid their team's mediocre success.
“Phoenix has all these guys that are now playing together and they're not that successful,” Simmons explained on The Bill Simmons Podcast. “[Durant] and Booker together, the team performance hasn't been that good.”
“It's like well these two guys, they're two of the best twelve guys in the league, shouldn't their team be great?… I don't get it. Oh, it's not great, alright it's everybody else fault,” Simmons added.
Simmons suggests Durant and Booker should shoulder more blame for the Suns' struggles. As Simmons mentioned, Durant and Booker are two of the top scorers in the league. Add Bradley Beal into the mix, and Phoenix's offense should be nearly unstoppable.
While there is improvement to be made from role players, Phoenix's star players must find a way to be productive on a nightly basis. If they consistently bring their best performance and help the team lock in on defense, the Suns will have a chance to make a deep postseason run.
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