Kevin Durant went all-out in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Tuesday. Steve Nash says that’s the way it had to be.
Durant played all 48 minutes in his Brooklyn Nets’ 114-108 win over the Milwaukee Bucks to take a 3-2 series lead. Nash was asked after the game about Durant’s minutes. He said he didn’t really have an option.
Steve Nash said it "probably wasn't ideal" for Kevin Durant to play all 48 minutes, adding: "but if he didn't play 48, we probably weren't winning tonight…. he was unbelievable to be able to handle that load."
— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) June 16, 2021
Playing 48 minutes in this era of load management is uncommon. But sometimes the circumstances don’t allow for the luxury of rest. This was one of those times.
Durant scored 49 points with 17 rebounds and 10 assists and made a great 3-pointer to help win the game.
Durant won’t be able to keep up this type of workload for the entire playoffs, but it could be enough to take home the series.
