Wednesday’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder was supposed to mark Kevin Durant’s first home game as a member of the Phoenix Suns. But that will not be the case.
During pregame warmups, Durant slipped on the court, injuring his left ankle.
As a result, Suns fans at Phoenix’s Footprint Center will have to wait a little longer to see Durant suit up for the home team.
Shams Charania of The Athletic tweeted the news on Wednesday, shortly before tipoff.
Suns’ Kevin Durant is out tonight vs. Thunder due to a left ankle injury. Durant slipped on court in pregame workouts.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 9, 2023
Kellan Olson of Empire of the Suns shared video of the incident.
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
Time will tell how serious the injury is. A screengrab of the injury indicates that it was a full-fledged roll of the left ankle, which is not good.
WHAT https://t.co/yfCesex4tH pic.twitter.com/a1IyPU90gV
— 🏀 ALL ICONIC SPORTS (@ALLICONICSPORTS) March 9, 2023
On the other hand, another angle showed Durant getting to his feet quickly, with minimal discomfort.
For those wondering — this is the workout where KD slipped on a wet spot and hurt himself before the game. https://t.co/caeIq3eGJS pic.twitter.com/kU3uAsb4qT
— 🦉 Lakers Vino (@VinoUncorked) March 9, 2023
NBA fans responded to Durant’s injury, wishing him luck and lamenting the remarkably unlucky season that has taken place.
What kind of deals were made with the basketball gods this season to cause this many injuries.? What horrible luck. Excited as a fan to see KD hoop in front is his fans with the Suns. 😢 https://t.co/d7nwZnk8tv
— Chris Manning (@LD2K) March 9, 2023
KD, CP3, and Booker are all injury prone
This isn’t gonna end well for Phoenix imo https://t.co/H1d5FFhJtS
— Ramon 🇵🇷⚡️ (@RamonEditsss) March 9, 2023
Hopefully nothing serious for KD. #NBA #suns https://t.co/3Zh2DE9En8
— Dr. Rajpal Brar, DPT (@3cbPerformance) March 9, 2023
My heart skipped a beat. https://t.co/7Ey2g9ar6z
— Sahal Abdi (@sahalabdi_) March 9, 2023
Just wild https://t.co/g0qDwVpBSg
— Laker Central (@LakerCentral365) March 9, 2023
StubHub buyers in shambles https://t.co/TeETE9q78m
— Jaime Eisner (@JaimeEisner) March 9, 2023
Durant walked ok after it happened. The still pic of it didn't look good. #Suns https://t.co/V7ZKRXo9di
— Steve Fifer (@SparkyRadio) March 9, 2023
The Suns have played three road games with Durant in the lineup. He’s averaged 26.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game, while shooting 69% from the field, 53.8% on threes and 88.2% on free throws. So, even after being sidelined for nearly two months, he didn’t miss much of a beat. Best of all, the team is 3-0 in those games.
Three of Phoenix’s next four games will be at home. The Suns will host the Sacramento Kings on Saturday, March 11. Then, after a road game against one of Durant’s old teams, the Golden State Warriors, Phoenix will be back home on Tuesday, March 14 and Thursday, March 16 for games against the Milwaukee Bucks and Orlando Magic, respectively.
