Kevin Durant on Boos from Suns Fans in NBA Playoffs Loss: Hopefully 'It Ignites Us'

Amid going down 3-0 in their first-round playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday, the Phoenix Suns were booed heartily by their hometown fans.

The crowd made its displeasure known during a 126-109 beatdown, and Suns superstar forward Kevin Durant expressed hope that the team will be able to turn it into a positive moving forward, telling reporters: "They expect so much out of us and they pay their hard-earned money, and they deserve to react how they want to react. It's on us as players to use it as fuel, and hopefully it ignites us for the next game."

Phoenix, which is now on the brink of elimination, trailed throughout Game 3 and essentially saw its hopes of cutting the series deficit in half during the third quarter when it was outscored 36-20 by the T-Wolves.

All-Star guard Devin Booker echoed KD's sentiments, saying, "Rightfully so," when asked about the fans booing them. He also said the prospect of having the opportunity to be the first team in NBA history to overcome a 3-0 series deficit is "exciting."

Dating back to last season, the Suns have made several big moves in an effort to establish themselves as championship contenders.

Phoenix acquired Durant in a trade with the Brooklyn Nets last season and followed it up by landing Bradley Beal in a trade with the Washington Wizards during the offseason.

The Suns secured the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference, meaning they avoided the play-in, but their 49-33 record was somewhat surprising nonetheless since it was anticipated that their star power would make them an elite team in the West.

Each member of Phoenix's "Big 3" scored at least 23 points in Game 3, but they got virtually no help, as the other two starters combined for three points and only one other player on the team scored in double figures with Eric Gordon recording 11 points off the bench.

Also, it was far from the best performance from Durant, especially given his history of putting up big numbers in the playoffs.

KD was second on the team with 25 points, but he went just 8-for-18 from the field and 1-for-5 from beyond the arc.

The Timberwolves made a big move in the 2022 offseason by acquiring center Rudy Gobert from the Utah Jazz, and the trade did not pay immediate dividends, as they barely reached the playoffs as the No. 8 seed and fell to the eventual NBA champion Denver Nuggets.

Despite that, Minnesota didn't do much to change its roster this past offseason, and that proved to be the right move, as the "Big 3" of Gobert, Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards flourished, and the T-Wolves went 56-26.

While it is possible the Suns could follow a similar blueprint. and bounce back next season if they are unable to mount a comeback against the Timberwolves, Minnesota benefited from having a young, budding superstar in Edwards.

The Suns are a veteran-laden team with seemingly little room for development, which could lead to some tough conversations during the offseason if they are unable to turn things around.