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After they acquired Kevin Durant in a blockbuster deal with the Brooklyn Nets at the trade deadline, many NBA analysts and bookmakers penciled the Phoenix Suns in as favorites to win this year’s NBA title. Ultimately, though, they weren’t even able to make it to the Western Conference Finals.
Following a 125-100 defeat to two-time MVP Nikola Jokic (who dropped a 32-point triple-double in Game 6) and the Denver Nuggets, the Suns have been knocked out of the playoffs as they lost the Western Conference Semifinal series by a score of 4-2.
Making matters worse for the Suns is the way in which they were eliminated: not only were they beaten by 25 points in a knockout game, but their highest scorer was Cam Payne (31 points) as their All-Star duo of Devin Booker and Kevin Durant had just 12 and 23 points, respectively.
Following the loss, Durant — who likely feels like he wasted another season given the drama in Brooklyn and the flameout in Phoenix, — told the media that the team’s postseason exit at the hands of the Nuggets was “embarrassing.”
“It sucked,” said Kevin Durant following the loss. “It was a bad feeling. Embarrassing.”
“We just got to be better next yea. It’s hard right now to see what the future will hold for our team, but we got a good foundation, good infrastructure. We can build on and move on from this and learn from it and get better from it. I’m sure as the summer and offseason starts, we’ll figure that out a little bit more.”
Now that they’re advanced past the loaded Phoenix Suns, the Denver Nuggets — who are the #1 overall seed in the Western Conference and finally have a healthy Jamal Murray for the playoff run — are looking like they have the potential to win the first NBA Championship in the history of the franchise.
In the Western Conference Finals, the Nuggets will take on either the Los Angeles Lakers or Golden State Warriors, who are playing Game 6 of their series tonight, Friday, May 12.