Durant sinks buzzer-beating 3 as Rockets beat Suns in Houston

Kevin Durant’s archetypal late-game dagger successful a Houston Rockets azygous came with other edge. Monday night, his 27-foot 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds near broke a necktie and lifted Houston to a 100-97 triumph implicit the Phoenix Suns. Durant finished with 26 points.

Asked if the changeable meant much due to the fact that it was against Phoenix, the 15-time All-Star was clear.

"Most definitely," Durant said. "A spot that I didn't privation to leave. My archetypal clip -- I don't privation to dependable excessively dramatic, but I volition -- to beryllium kicked retired of a place."

Durant joined the Rockets from the Suns this summertime successful a blockbuster commercialized that sent Dillon Brooks and Jalen Green to Phoenix. He said the mode it ended inactive sits with him.

"It feels bully to play against a squad that booted you retired of the gathering and scapegoated you for each the problems they had," Durant said. "And it wounded due to the fact that I enactment each my effort and emotion and attraction towards the Suns and the Phoenix country and Arizona successful general. But that's conscionable the business, that's the sanction of the game. So, erstwhile you play against a [former] team, yeah, you got a spot connected your shoulder."

Pride, competition, and moving on

Durant, 37, spent 2½ seasons with the Suns aft arriving successful a February 2023 commercialized from Brooklyn. He was an All-Star successful some of his afloat seasons there, yet Phoenix fell short, losing successful the archetypal circular successful 2023-24 and missing the playoffs past season.

"It's thing but emotion for the players, but I privation to bushed that team," Durant said. "I privation to amusement them that I inactive got immoderate foodstuff successful the tank. Even though I'm old, I inactive tin play. I consciousness similar each subordinate has that mentality playing against their erstwhile team. I don't deliberation it's malicious successful immoderate mode towards them. But conscionable arsenic a competitor, you privation to spell retired determination and bushed them."

He besides insisted helium does not privation the emotions to bent around.

"By the clip I get location tonight, I astir apt won't adjacent retrieve it," helium said. "Well, I volition retrieve it, but I'll effort my champion to hide astir it and determination connected to the adjacent one."