Kevin Durant #35 of the Phoenix Suns reacts in the second quarter during their game against the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center on March 01, 2023 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Photo by Jacob Kupferman / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)
Kevin Durant shook off pre-game jitters to score 23 points in his Phoenix Suns debut, helping his new team to a 105-91 victory in Charlotte that halted the Hornets’ five-game NBA winning streak.
Durant was acquired from Brooklyn in a blockbuster trade three weeks ago but was sidelined until Wednesday with a sprained knee ligament.
As Durant announced his arrival in the Western Conference, back in the East the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics continued to jockey for dominance.
The Bucks beat the Orlando Magic 139-117, their 16th straight victory which keeps them half a game ahead of the Celtics atop the conference.
The Celtics, with 41 points from a resurgent Jayson Tatum, beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 117-113 in Boston.
KEVIN DURANT’S FIRST BUCKET AS A PHOENIX SUN. pic.twitter.com/YtD1xWgFO3
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) March 2, 2023
Durant was efficient playing restricted minutes, scoring 23 points on 10-of-15 shooting in less than 27 minutes on the floor.
He added six rebounds, a pair of assists and a couple of blocked shots, complementing new teammate Devin Booker’s 37 points.
“I’ve played in almost a thousand basketball games, but today I was nervous,” admitted Durant, who scored his first points as a Sun with a silky layup less than two minutes into the contest.
“But once the ball was tipped my teammates were incredible in making me feel comfortable and I just tried to go out there and play my game.”
Phoenix are in fourth place in the West, 10 games behind conference leaders Denver and three behind the third-placed Sacramento Kings.
Even as he continues to return to full fitness, Durant showed what an asset he can be as they try to climb the table.
Durant scored 12 points in the first half as the Suns took a 16-point lead.
The Hornets, whose rising star LaMelo Ball had season-ending surgery on a broken ankle earlier Wednesday, had trimmed the deficit to six points going into the final quarter.
Durant started the period and helped the Suns pull away.
“Man, I missed the game,” Durant said. “I’m glad my knee’s back right, I’m glad I’m on the road to playing more and more minutes each game.
“I’m looking forward to what we can build from this.”