"I don't know what options we have other than to play him less and lose more" - Steve Nash on Kevin Durant playing 40+ minutes regularly for Brooklyn Nets
Steve Nash has been very generous in giving Kevin Durant extra minutes this season. However, the former MVP has said that he knows that putting a whole lot of burden on KD is not ideal, but given that the Brooklyn Nets are down by a few players, it is the only option he has.
Kevin Durant has been averaging 28.6 PPG, 7.5 RPG and 5.6 APG through 20 games this season. The 2-time Finals MVP is playing 35.8 minutes per game, the most he has since his days with the Oklahoma City Thunder. When asked in a pre-game interview whether he was worried about the big minutes and the heavy workload on Kevin Durant this season, Steve Nash replied by saying:
"It's not ideal to have him have such a burden but I don't know what options we have other than to play him less and lose more. You know, he's a great player and we are down a few really great players, a few good players and a few others. So I don't know if we have the luxury right now. Hopefully if the season gives us opportunities, he had one recently with his shoulder where he missed a game and didn't play for four days, so that lessens the blow and allows him to kind of regenerate, but he is going to have a lot of responsibility and that's just the way it is."
"It's not ideal to have him have such a burden but I don't know what options we have other than to play him less and lose more" - Steve Nash on the heavy minutes logged by Kevin Durant of late https://t.co/MMRI4dFR6s
Kevin Durant played a total of 40 minutes in the Nets' recent win against the New York Knicks. As Steve Nash suggested, this could be the story of the season, as the Nets are playing without some great players like Kyrie Irving and Blake Griffin, who recently suffered an injury.
📼 | 27 points for @KDTrey5 against the Knicks https://t.co/qNdLhwQMGt
Kevin Durant and James Harden combine to score 61 points as the Brooklyn Nets defeat city rivals in a close-fought game
The Brooklyn Nets came into the game on Wednesday on the back of a disappointing loss to the Phoenix Suns. A strong response was expected from them and that was what the fans got, as they scored 60 points in the first half to make their intentions clear. Kevin Durant started the game a bit slow but then showed up big in the second half.
KD made it to the highlight reel as he had Julius Randle on skates with a brilliant move. James Harden also had a big game as he secured a 34-point double-double to help the team. The second half was nail-biting as the New York City rivals put on a great showing to grab the bragging rights in this game. With the score at 110-107, the Knicks inbounded the ball and it went into the hands of Frenchman Evan Fournier, who drained a three to tie the game. This bucket had all the fans go crazy, however in the end, the Nets hung onto the end courtesy of two drained free throws from James Johnson.
Kevin Durant drops Julius Randle and Cam Thomas drills the 3-pointer 🔥
(via @NBAonTNT)
https://t.co/53LP8YKDsU
Although the offense was great for the Nets in this game, this win could be attributed to the aggressive mindset brought in by James Harden and Kevin Durant, both of whom were terrific even on the defensive end. The Nets next face the strong-looking Minnesota Timberwolves. They will need a similar performance if they want to overcome the strong challenge laid by the young Big 3 of Minnesota.
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