Home NBA Deandre Ayton frustrated with being substituted late in Game 3 vs. Nuggets

Deandre Ayton frustrated with being substituted late in Game 3 vs. Nuggets

The Suns recorded their first win in the Western Conference Semifinals against the Nuggets as they won Game 3 at home (121-114).

Phoenix center Deandre Ayton played 26 minutes which is significantly below his average in the playoffs of 33 minutes per game.

With 4:57 minutes left to play in the fourth quarter and the Suns leading 105-98, the player was substituted and spent the remainder of the game on the bench. He finished the game with 4 points and 9 rebounds.

Ayton was visibly upset as he walked towards his teammates, refusing to shake hands with Chris Paul twice.

“Just keep encouraging him,” Kevin Durant said about picking up Ayton when he has a bad game. “He’s still stayed into the game regardless. He was on the same page with us, encouraging us, cheering for us when he was out on the bench.

“So I think DA, he wants to be out there, he wants to contribute, he wants to play well every single night. He wants to do everything right. So sometimes that could be a little frustrating when you don’t the opportunity to showcase what you can do sometimes.

“But that’s just the nature of a team. You got a team where next guy got to step up and everybody just got to support him. Looking forward to a big game from him next game.”

Kevin Durant Talks Game 3 Win vs Nuggets , Postgame Interview
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