Suns' Kevin Durant on 'Embarrassing' Game 6 Loss to Nuggets: 'It Sucked'
Kevin Durant's first postseason run with the Phoenix Suns came to an end with a 125-100 loss to the Denver Nuggets in Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals on Thursday night.
Addressing the media afterward, Durant called it "embarrassing" to have his season end in a blowout loss.
"It sucked," he added.
The lack of depth that plagued the Suns after the Durant trade became more of an issue as this series went along. Chris Paul missed the final four games against the Nuggets with a strained groin.
Deandre Ayton was unable to go in Game 6 due to a rib injury he suffered in Phoenix's loss on Tuesday.
This left head coach Monty Williams with a starting lineup of Durant, Devin Booker, Jock Landale, Cameron Payne and Landry Shamet.
It didn't help matters that Booker had his worst game of the series. He finished with 12 points on 4-of-13 shooting in 36 minutes. The three-time All-Star went 12-of-32 in the past two games after going 48-of-72 combined in Games 2 through 4.
Durant was uncharacteristically inefficient from the field throughout the series. He shot 42.1 percent or worse in four of the six games. His 23 points in Game 6 were his fewest in a playoff game this season.
The Suns' bench scored a total of 12 points in Thursday's loss. The Nuggets' reserves contributed 28 points.
The dip in performance for Durant and Booker throughout this series could likely be attributed to the high volume of playing time they had to take on due to the Suns' limited depth.
Both players averaged more than 40 minutes per game against the Nuggets after averaging a combined 87.2 minutes per game in the first round against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Phoenix's front office will have to find ways to bring in more useful contributors who can support Durant and Booker if the team wants to take a step forward next season.
