Kevin Durant will have to wait for his home debut with the Suns after injuring his left ankle in Wednesday’s warmups.
Kevin Durant’s home debut with the Phoenix Suns will have to wait a while longer.
The 13-time All-Star slipped on the floor during pregame warmups and was ruled out Wednesday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder with left ankle pain.
According to Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic, Durant was in a walking boot as he exited Wednesday’s 132-101 victory and could have missed several games. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reports that Durant will have an MRI on Thursday to determine the extent of the injury and the length of his absence.
“He’s in good spirits,” Suns All-Star guard Devin Booker said, according to the Arizona Republic. “That’s all that matters to me. The rehabilitation process begins now.
The game was supposed to be Durant’s home debut with his new team. He’s played three games since being traded to the Suns, but all of them were on the road.
“We’ll do more testing tomorrow,” Suns coach Monty Williams said. “At the moment it’s just a sprained ankle and we have nothing official to report.”
The video showed Durant heading for the basket during warmups when he rolled his left ankle while jumping. He immediately jumped up and continued his pre-game work, but minutes later the Suns confirmed Durant would miss the game.
Here’s a video of Kevin Durant sliding on the floor before the game.
He lay there for a few seconds, then got up and finished his work on the ground. pic.twitter.com/DwTrNc6LIr
—Kellan Olson (@KellanOlson) March 9, 2023
He was not on the bench during the game. Torrey Craig started in place of Durant and the Suns cruised to a 132-101 win for their fourth straight victory. Booker scored 44 points.
Durant averaged 26.7 points and 7.3 rebounds in his three games with Phoenix. He was not in the locker room when it was opened for media access after the game.
“I know how much he loves to play and wanted to play,” goalkeeper Chris Paul said. “But things happen.”
Phoenix traded for Durant and TJ Warren in a blockbuster deal in February, sending Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder, four first-round picks and other draft picks to the Brooklyn Nets.
Devin Booker comes in after Kevin Durant suffered an ankle injury, but his performance only further teases the Suns’ future potential.
The Suns have looked like a juggernaut in the three games Durant has played, winning them all. But the slip is a reminder that the 34-year-old has missed a lot of injury time over the past four seasons.
Durant was out the entire 2019-20 campaign with an Achilles injury. He has missed time this season with a sprained knee ligament. Now an ankle injury.
“He’s out there working his cock, getting ready for the game and twisting his ankle,” Williams said. “You can’t be frustrated about this. That’s life, you see what I’m saying? I felt bad for him because he feels bad.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.