Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday fumbled what appeared to be a surefire win in the closing seconds against the San Antonio Spurs.
The Suns led by as many as 20 points in the second half at Footprint Center in Phoenix, Ariz.
A furious fourth-quarter rally from the Spurs got them to within three with 48 seconds left in the contest. After forcing a stop on the defensive end, San Antonio regained possession down 114-111 with under 30 seconds left. Then chaos ensued.
The suns were winning the whole game and lost the game because of this 😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/80pZrGlLmO
— Mark Jackson’s Burner (@casualtakeking) November 1, 2023
Spurs sharpshooter Devin Vassell missed what would have been the game-tying three-pointer. Victor Wembanyama got the offensive rebound and slammed it home.
The Suns inexplicably inbounded the basketball to Kevin Durant instead of calling for a timeout. The puzzling decision allowed the Spurs to trap KD, leading to a go-ahead lay-in from Spurs forward Keldon Johnson.
Durant missed the final attempt with a second left on the clock in what became a 115-114 Suns loss.
Phoenix led for 47 minutes and 58 seconds of game action. San Antonio swooped in at almost literally the last second to steal away the victory.
The Suns were leading for 47 minutes and 58 seconds.
They lost the game. pic.twitter.com/8e2itL8jIe
— StatMuse (@statmuse) November 1, 2023
The Suns were playing without both Devin Booker and Bradley Beal for the third straight contest. But despite the missing stars, Durant and co. would definitely want a re-do of Tuesday’s closing moments.
