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Kevin Durant Reacts to Scoring Career High 55-Points in Loss
Kevin Durant had a career night against the Atlanta Hawks, but it wasn't enough to get a win. In the biggest game of the season, Brooklyn came up short in Atlanta. With the loss, the Nets fall back into a tie with Charlotte for the 9th-seed. After the game, Durant shared his thoughts.
On if this loss is more deflating because of his career-high, Durant said, "Every loss is deflating. I ain't even worried about that. I'm just mad at the loss. I'm glad I shot the ball well, I mean 8 threes, career high. But I wish we would've came out with a W."
The Nets and Hawks came into this game with identical records, meaning the winner would pull a full game in front of the loser. The difference between 8th and 9th is massive, as the 8th seed receives two chances to make it out of the play-in tournament, while the 9th seed faces sudden elimination.
While there was a distinct free throw disparity in this game, with Atlanta taking 49 free throws to Brooklyn's 19, Kevin Durant did not use that as an excuse. "It's not cause of the refs. It's cause we're reaching and being undisciplined and just playing too aggressive," Durant said. "That's the game. They shot 42% from the field which is great defense... it's just fouls. We can't do that if we want to be a winning team."
While the Nets still have games left to sneak into the 8th seed, Atlanta controls their own destiny. Should the Hawks win the remainder of their games, even with Brooklyn also winning out, the Nets would finish 9th. That is why this game was so crucial, and despite KD's career high, Brooklyn couldn't get the job done.
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