Smith said Durant has been “leaderless” when addressing the question of whether the two-time finals MVP can lead Phoenix to a championship. Suns teammates came to Durant’s defense, saying he’s an easy target, and defended his leadership style. They said he’s not a “rah, rah" type, but he will call out teammates.

On Monday evening, the Phoenix Suns hosted the Philadelphia 76ers in Arizona. The game was a thriller, as the Suns won by a score of 118-116 to improve to 6-1 i