Kevin Durant didn’t get the outcome he hoped for during his homecoming on Thursday night. The Phoenix Suns lost their fourth consecutive game, falling 120-109 to the San Antonio Spurs in front of 16,246 fans at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas. Many fans wore Durant’s No. 35 Longhorns jersey from his time as a student-athlete at Texas during the 2006-07 season. After a heated exchange with the Spurs bench, Durant spent much of the final two minutes sulking in the corner as San Antonio took free throws.
In the last moments of the game, Durant issued a six-word plea to Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer. According to Duane Rankin of AZ Central, Durant said, “You need somebody who can guard.” Fans on social media speculated that Durant was referring to rookie forward Ryan Dunn. One fan wrote, “He’s telling him to play Dunn.” Another posted, “In other words, put in Ryan Dunn!!! What did Ryan do to get benched?! I just don’t get it.” Dunn did not record any stats in the game, playing zero minutes.
Defense was a significant issue for the Suns, but turnovers also contributed to their loss. Phoenix committed 18 turnovers, compared to just 11 by the Spurs. The Suns will next play the Chicago Bulls at the United Center on Saturday.
