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Clippers know Suns’ Kevin Durant is significant obstacle

April 12, 2023

PLAYA VISTA — The Clippers have many things on their mind heading into their first-round playoff series against the Phoenix Suns, but one player is occupying most of their thoughts.

That’s Kevin Durant. More than veteran Chris Paul or All-Star Devin Booker, Durant has grabbed their attention as they prepare for the best-of-seven series that begins Sunday night in Phoenix.

“That’s just really it,” Terance Mann said. “They have Kevin Durant, so it’s not just any trio. You’ve got one of the best scorers of all time out there that you’ve got to worry about now. It’s going to be a completely different game plan from when we played them in the past.

“It’s almost a completely different team because he’s out there.”

The fourth-seeded Suns acquired Durant in a trade deadline swap with the Brooklyn Nets, but he didn’t make his debut until March 1 because of a right knee injury. In his first game with the Suns, the two-time NBA Finals MVP scored 23 points on 10-of-15 shooting.

He played two games before slipping on the court during pregame warmups and spraining his left ankle, causing him to miss 10 games. In his eight games alongside Paul and Booker, the Suns went 8-0 and Durant averaged 26 points in 33.6 minutes per game.

The fifth-seeded Clippers have faced prolific scorers and stars in recent playoff series from Luka Doncic to Donovan Mitchell to Nikola Jokic, but they speak of Durant as if he’s their biggest offensive obstacle to date.

Durant’s shot-making comes in the flow of the offense; he doesn’t force shots or shoot the ball to draw fouls. His presence also has enabled other players, such as Paul, to find open looks and causes defenses to make difficult decisions that don’t always succeed.

“KD on any team gives you problems no matter who it is, so we’ve just got to be locked in and ready to go,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said, calling him one of the best one-on-one players in the league.

The combination of Durant’s size and scoring prowess makes him a tough matchup for any team and while there are players who have the size and perhaps the strength to match up, few have the quickness to stay in front of him. He has long been considered one of the most difficult players to guard.

Even in practice.

When asked who would mimic Durant during their practice sessions, Lue joked that he was going to use himself. Lue settled on Brandon Boston, who at 6-foot-6 and 188 pounds best resembles the 6-10 Durant.

Boston Jr., however, is not Durant and cannot mirror the same offensive challenges that the 13-time All-Star presents.

“He’s always been very efficient,” said Russell Westbrook, who played with Durant for eight seasons in Oklahoma City. “But I think his ability to be more efficient and still score the ball at a high rate (is the biggest challenge.) He’s probably one of the best scorers I’ve seen, someone who can score at ease and looks so effortless. Over the years, he’s figured out ways to score the basketball at a very, very high rate, and that’s kind of what I’ve seen over the years.”

Norman Powell called Durant dynamic, a player who can score on all three levels. “I mean, he’s 7-foot tall, he can shoot over anybody he wants to. But just the physicality.”

Powell added “that’s the mindset that we have going in, setting the tone, being the more physical team, not making it easy. That’s what we got to do. We got to crowd him. We got to be physical. We got to bump him; try to make it as uncomfortable as possible for him, you know.”

Lue said the Clippers are up for the challenge of Durant, Booker and the entire Suns roster.

“We’re in the playoffs, and it’s about being locked in,” Lue said. “I think the biggest thing for our team is just taking away the mental mistakes, the game-plan mistakes. We’ve got to be better with that because they’ll make you pay every single time.

“We’ve got to be sharper with what we’re doing defensively, and then offensively just reading how they’re going to play us, and we’ll be able to understand that once the game starts.”

INJURY UPDATE

Paul George, who has not played since injuring his right knee on March 21, took part in limited shooting drills Wednesday. He suffered a sprained right knee in a loss to Oklahoma City and is not expected to play in the first-round series against the Suns. The Clippers are 12-14 without George this season.

Orange County Register

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Clippers know Suns’ Kevin Durant is significant obstacle

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