mavs>spurs2
07-09-2007, 08:43 PM
Durant shoots poorly in Sonics debut
Associated Press, Updated 1 day ago STORY TOOLS:
LAS VEGAS (AP) - Kevin Durant took his Seattle SuperSonics debut in stride on the first day of the NBA Summer League on Friday.
Durant led all scorers with 18 points, but he shot just 5-of-17 from the field in the Sonics' 77-66 loss to the Dallas Mavericks.
He was scoreless in the first quarter before tallying 13 points in the second quarter, including 11 straight.
"I had good shots," Durant said. "They just weren't falling. In this game, you can't make every shot. I wanted to keep being aggressive, and in the second quarter it started to come for me. Unfortunately, we lost."
Jeff Green, who was taken by the Celtics with the No. 5 pick in the draft before being traded to Seattle, scored seven points - all in the first quarter.
"This is our first games under our belts as NBA players," Green said. "We had to get our jitters out."
Although they are both listed at 6-feet-9, the 215-pound Durant started at guard while the 235-pound Green opened at forward. They were in familiar roles, but they both admitted that the pro level had a different feel to it.
Durant said he felt no pressure.
"This is basketball. I'm going to try to get better every day, as a basketball player and as a person. I want to keep being aggressive. It's a lot faster than what I am used to. It's a lot more intense," he said. "I could have shot the ball a lot better, but there's always next game. I'll be more relaxed and I'll shoot it better."
Maurice Ager led the Mavericks with 17 points while Jose Barea scored 14 and Clay Tucker had 12 points. Dallas had a 39-28 lead at intermission
Kind of odd how both he and Oden have been struggling so far. I guess it's a big adjustment from college to the pros.
Associated Press, Updated 1 day ago STORY TOOLS:
LAS VEGAS (AP) - Kevin Durant took his Seattle SuperSonics debut in stride on the first day of the NBA Summer League on Friday.
Durant led all scorers with 18 points, but he shot just 5-of-17 from the field in the Sonics' 77-66 loss to the Dallas Mavericks.
He was scoreless in the first quarter before tallying 13 points in the second quarter, including 11 straight.
"I had good shots," Durant said. "They just weren't falling. In this game, you can't make every shot. I wanted to keep being aggressive, and in the second quarter it started to come for me. Unfortunately, we lost."
Jeff Green, who was taken by the Celtics with the No. 5 pick in the draft before being traded to Seattle, scored seven points - all in the first quarter.
"This is our first games under our belts as NBA players," Green said. "We had to get our jitters out."
Although they are both listed at 6-feet-9, the 215-pound Durant started at guard while the 235-pound Green opened at forward. They were in familiar roles, but they both admitted that the pro level had a different feel to it.
Durant said he felt no pressure.
"This is basketball. I'm going to try to get better every day, as a basketball player and as a person. I want to keep being aggressive. It's a lot faster than what I am used to. It's a lot more intense," he said. "I could have shot the ball a lot better, but there's always next game. I'll be more relaxed and I'll shoot it better."
Maurice Ager led the Mavericks with 17 points while Jose Barea scored 14 and Clay Tucker had 12 points. Dallas had a 39-28 lead at intermission
Kind of odd how both he and Oden have been struggling so far. I guess it's a big adjustment from college to the pros.