In what comes as a devastating blow, Phoenix Suns superstar Kevin Durant faces the possibility of missing the rest of the regular season after injuring himself during the warm-up ahead of the clash against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
While Phoenix did stave off OKC with a solid 132-101 win, there will be concerns in the Suns’ camp. Greg Moore of The Arizona Republic reported that Durant may have suffered a Grade 2 sprain that could sideline him for potentially four to six weeks.
“Phoenix’s regular-season finale is April 9, meaning it’s possible Durant could miss the remainder of the regular season and potentially the start of the playoffs,” Moore wrote. Durant rolled his ankle and fell to the floor while driving his way up to the basket during the warm-ups. He did, however, finish his workout.
Here’s video of Kevin Durant slipping on the floor pregame.
He stayed down for a few seconds but then got up and finished his on-court work. pic.twitter.com/DwTrNc6LIr
— Kellan Olson (@KellanOlson) March 9, 2023
The veteran forward has played three games with the Suns since his arrival from Brooklyn ahead of the trade deadline. The team is 3-0 with him in the lineup, and the Wednesday game was supposed to be his home debut.
How Does Kevin Durant’s Injury Impact The Phoenix Suns?
Despite their healthy 37-29 record in the West that makes the Suns one of the prime playoff contenders, Durant’s injury does come as a dampener, especially when he was in pristine form averaging 26.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 3.7 assists in his brief outings with the side.
The onus will once again be on Devin Booker, who despite being on a tear this season will be looked to shoulder a massive scoring load in the forward’s absence. Prior to the injury, the health of the Suns’ top four was looked at as one of the legitimate concerns for the side as they geared up for their maiden championship bid with Durant in the mix.
CBS Sports’ Michael Kaskey-Blomain earlier wrote, “following the addition of Durant, the largest looming concern for Phoenix for the rest of the season is health.” It should be noted that he returned on March 1 from a knee injury suffered in early January that saw him miss 20 games.
Only time will tell if the Suns can take care of business on the floor without Durant. With chances of the two-time NBA champion missing some playoff games as well, the road ahead looks bumpy for Phoenix.
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