GettyBronny James #9 of the Los Angeles Lakers passes the ball.
Phoenix Suns superstar Kevin Durant made a blunt admission after a fan commented on Bleacher Report’s Instagram post showing his block attempt on Los Angeles Lakers rookie Bronny James, the eldest son of his longtime rival LeBron James.
“KD blocking LeBron’s son in an NBA game sounds crazy,” the fan commented.
Durant replied, “Damn, I’m old.”
The 36-year-old Durant tried to block Bronny James’s drive to the basket at the start of the fourth quarter. But he was called for a foul.
Durant protested the call. The Suns challenged it. But it was unsuccessful.
The 20-year-old Bronny James, however, missed both free throws as the Suns kept a 92-84 lead over the Lakers.
But the Lakers’ other rookie, Dalton Knecht, rose to the occasion and torched Durant and the Suns with 35 points, including 25 in the fourth quarter and overtime.
Knecht proved steadier than Bronny James as he led the Lakers’ magnificent comeback to squeeze out a 128-122 overtime win on Thursday, October 17.
What made the win extra special was the fact that the Lakers played without LeBron James, who took the night off.
The 22-year-old Knecht knocked down the game-tying 3-pointer with six seconds left in the regulation to send the game into overtime. Then he rattled off 13 points to finish off the Suns in the extra time.
Kevin Durant Gives Advice to Bronny James, Lakers Young Players
Before Durant faced Bronny James and the Lakers for the second time in the preseason, he encouraged them to continue improving.
“Just playing hard, trying to establish themselves in the league,” Durant told reporters after their shootaround. “Rookies in the preseason, you’re just trying to get a feel for the game and get your feet wet, so I can see each game those two guys, not just those two, the younger players in your team that made it Jalen Hood-Schifino, Max Christie and Maxwell Lewis and all those guys.
“You get a little bit more comfortable each and every game as you understand your role, what coach wants from you and kind of lean into your routine that you work on every single day.”
Christie added seven points and four rebounds in 21 minutes as a starter. Bronny James had four points on 2 of 4 shooting and two rebounds in 17 minutes.
Hood-Schifino had a rough shooting night, hitting only 1 of 8 from the floor.
Devin Booker In Awe of Dalton Knecht
Durant’s teammate, Devin Booker, was so impressed with Knecht’s shooting.
“Unbelievable,” the Suns’ four-time All-Star guard said of Knecht.
The Lakers rookie out of Tennessee connected on 10 of 18 shots, including 8 of 13 from downtown.
“You know he can shoot the peel off the ball and that opens up everything else for him,” Booker added. “People will have to crowd him, easier to drive. I didn’t know much about him until Palm Springs, but definitely someone that I have my eye on.”
Booker finished with 22 points, while Durant added 19 for the Suns.
Knecht said he was empowered by the Lakers stars to take over down the stretch.
And that’s what he did, to the astonishment of Booker.
“I would say it fully took over after I hit the first one on Bol Bol,” Knecht said of his game-tying 3-pointer. “I felt good and then I just kept shooting them. The overtime shot felt good and Bron and AD said it was time, so it was just time to go take over. Shoutout to my teammates, they were pulling for me.”