Stephen A. Smith ridicules Kevin Durant's Suns for "atrocious" effort vs Lakers - "Resembled a little kid that was placed on punishment"

Stephen A. Smith watched Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns struggle in the first half on Sunday before losing 107-96 to the LA Lakers. Durant opened the game going 1-for-6, including 0-for-3 from behind the arc.

The Big 3 of KD, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal combined for 17 points, which tied Luka Doncic’s first-half output for the Lakers.

The ESPN analyst did not hold back during the network’s halftime show on national TV:

“I would encourage us to give a public apology to our national audience for that atrocity we saw in the first half. No effort whatsoever, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. … The Phoenix Suns resembled a little kid that was placed on punishment by his parents and assigned to do chores.”

Smith called the Suns’ performance “atrocious” and “disgraceful.” Phoenix trailed 31-15 after one quarter and 54-37 at halftime. They hit 2-for-18 in the first two quarters from deep, while Doncic went 3-for-5 from the same range in the opening 12 minutes.

Bob Myers, a co-host of the show, added that he could not understand why it felt like Durant's team did not want to play or compete. The former Golden State Warriors executive also questioned the team’s effort.

Phoenix responded with a strong third quarter after a lackadaisical first half. The Suns closed the gap to 83-71 entering the final period. Still, the Lakers, without LeBron James, made timely shots and defensive stops to hold on for the win.

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Kendrick Perkins takes a shot at Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns

Kendrick Perkins, the third analyst on ESPN covering the game, was also critical of Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns. KD’s former OKC Thunder teammate added to what Stephen A. Smith and Bob Myers said:

“I said it in January, I said it in February [and] here I am saying in March. They don’t have a leader. No one is gonna question the talent of this team. They don’t have a voice in the locker room that’s gonna hold these guys accountable.”

Perk added that Suns coach Mike Budenholzer had to “get into it” with Kevin Durant because the team failed to play hard. Budenholzer and Durant had an animated exchange in the first quarter during the Suns’ lethargic start.

The 36-year-old forward and 15x All-Star of the team is considered the franchise cornerstone. Perkins subtly blasted the former MVP for failing as a leader.

The Suns dropped to 31-37 following the loss to the Lakers. With less than a month to go in the regular season, they trail the Dallas Mavericks (33-36) for the 10th spot and final play-in tournament berth.