A freak injury could end up costing Kevin Durant the rest of his regular season. Prior to the Phoenix Suns’ 132-101 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night, Durant slipped while going through warm-ups and rolled his ankle. While he was able to finish warming up for the game, it was eventually determined that Durant wouldn’t be able to play.
In the aftermath of the game, a report from Greg Moore of The Arizona Republic indicated that Durant might not be able to return during the regular season, as he left Footprint Center in a walking boot. That is, hopefully, not going to be the case as the team is looking to evaluate Durant in three weeks, as they announced on Thursday night.
The Suns official statement says Kevin Durant will be re-evaluated in 3 weeks, not 2 pic.twitter.com/jUgdPXQPRz
— Brendon Kleen (@BrendonKleen14) March 10, 2023
A three-week absence, should he return immediately upon re-evaluation, would have Durant coming back at the end of March, just prior to the final week of the regular season.
Durant and T.J. Warren came to the Suns at the trade deadline from the Brooklyn Nets in a deal that saw Phoenix give up Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson, Jae Crowder, and a whole lot of draft capital. He has appeared in three games as a Sun and has looked to be a seamless fit alongside Deandre Ayton, Devin Booker, Chris Paul, and co., as Durant has averaged 26.7 points and 7.3 rebounds per game on 69 percent shooting from the field and 53.8 percent shooting from three.
Phoenix’s final regular season game will take place on April 9. The team is currently 37-29, good for fourth place in the Western Conference with a 3.5-game lead on the 7-seed.