The fall guy got the last laugh.
Kevin Durant savored his game-winning 3-pointer Monday against the Suns more than usual since he said Phoenix blamed him for their recent shortcomings.
The Suns traded Durant to the Rockets during the offseason after their Durant-Devin Booker-Bradley Beal era did not live up to expectations.
“Most definitely,” Durant said after a 100-97 home win.
“A place that I didn’t want to leave. My first time being — I don’t want to sound too dramatic, but I will — to be kicked out of a place. And feel like I’ve been scapegoated for the issues that we had as a team last year, yeah, it felt good to beat them and hit a game-winning shot.”
Durant, 37, arrived to the Suns during the 2022-23 season to much excitement and spent two-and-a-half years with the franchise.
He and Booker led Phoenix to the Western Conference semifinals that first season, where they fell short against the eventual champion Nuggets in six games.
The franchise then added Beal in the offseason in the hope of taking that next step, but they were swept by Minnesota in the 2024 playoffs and failed to qualify last year with a 36-46 record.
Last season’s failure led to the breakup of the roster, with Durant being traded to the Rockets for a large package and Beal being bought out.
Durant played to his usual excellent level with the Suns, averaging 26.8 points per game.
“It feels good to play against a team that booted you out of the building and scapegoated you for all the problems that they had,” Durant said. “And it hurt because I put all my effort and love and care toward the Suns and the Phoenix area and Arizona in general. But that’s just the business, that’s the name of the game. So, when you play against a (former) team, yeah, you got a chip on your shoulder.”
There are similar expectations for this Rockets team after acquiring Durant, and they are tied for fourth place in the Western Conference with a 22-11 record after Monday’s win.
He won Monday’s game after receiving an inbounds pass and pulling up from beyond the arc, giving Houston the 100-97 lead with 1.1 seconds remaining.
“It’s nothing but love for the players, but I want to beat that team,” Durant said. “I want to show them that I still got some juice in the tank, even though I’m old, I still can play. I feel like every player has that mentality playing against their former team. I don’t think it’s malicious in any way toward them.
“But just as a competitor, you want to go out there and beat them and then to beat them on a game-winning shot like that? Yeah.”
