With all eyes, attention, and the camera focused on the Phoenix Suns-Dallas Mavericks encounter this Sunday, Kevin Durant remains relaxed as he is potentially set to face former teammate Kyrie Irving.
While he understands the skyrocketing storylines and coverages, Durant is considering the upcoming much-anticipated face-off with the star point guard as just a normal meeting
“Just another game,” Durant said following the Suns’ 125-104 win over the Chicago Bulls, per ESPN’s Jamal Collier. “I understand the entertainment aspect and a lot of people on the outside got the game circled on their calendar, but for both teams, just regularly scheduled programming. Getting back to work and seeing how you can get better as a unit.”
In his second game as a Sun, Durant managed to log 31 minutes of play, polishing 20 markers and shooting 7-of-10 from the field. With his minutes taking a slight increase from his debut against the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday, this may hint an indication that he’ll be good to go in facing Irving and the Mavs.
As such, this will mean that he will face Irving as an opponent since 2018-19. The duo parted ways on good terms this 2022-23 midseason after a failed 3 ½ seasons of championship experiment as the core foundations of the Brooklyn Nets.
Given that the Mavs and the Suns do share an intense rivalry after igniting their fiery postseason war last year, the addition of both Durant and Irving can only intensify the competition from both title-contending teams.
“We’ve played against each other before, competed against each other before,” Durant said. “But it’s all about [the Suns]. I’m sure they feel the same way. It’s about putting your best foot forward.”
