The Phoenix Suns’ desperation for continued contention beyond the 2024-25 regular season has taken a devastating blow.
Amid an already frustrating season already marred by struggle issues, reported locker room tensions, and trade dramas, the franchise endured yet another gut-wrenching hit when it mattered the most.
Kevin Durant went down with an apparent left ankle sprain against the Houston Rockets on March 30.
The superstar forward was assisted to the locker room and didn’t ultimately return to the game as the Phoenix Suns were pulverized in their worst loss of the year (148-109).
The injury took place at 6:57 mark of the third quarter. With Suns trailing a 92-57 lead posted by the Rockets, Durant aggressively drove to the basket from the top of the key while being defended by Jabari Smith Jr.
As he entered the shaded area, Durant suddenly stepped on the foot of the Houston big man and crashed to the ground. The Phoenix star was reeling in pain as Smith Jr. got called for a foul.
Durant was hobbling and couldn’t put much weight on his left leg as he first sat to the Phoenix bench. He was eventually helped by the team staffers as he entered the dugout.
His night ended with 11 points and seven rebounds across 23 minutes, shooting 5-of-11 from the field.
In his postgame presser, head coach Mike Budenholzer announced that Durant will undergo MRI and will stay in Phoenix as the Suns begin a critical three-game road stretch.
“We’ll get an MRI on it tomorrow,” Budenholzer said. “He’ll stay back [on the road trip] and we’ll assess.”
The result of the scanning will determine if Durant can join the Suns on their away trip. Nevertheless, Devin Booker understands that he needs to take the lead to keep the team’s season alive with seven games left on the table.
The Suns are 2-11 in the 13 games that Durant has missed this season. With their third straight loss coming in against Houston, Phoenix drops to 35-40, 1.5 games away from the final Play-In spot of the Western Conference which is currently being occupied by the Sacramento Kings.
Star guard Bradley Beal has missed his seventh consecutive game from hamstring issues. As such, Booker acknowledges the necessary step-up that the Suns expect him to do.
“Everybody has to step up, starting with myself,” Booker said in postgame. “The exact opposite of what went down tonight. We have it in the locker room, we just have to pull it out.”
The Suns will now embark on a daunting journey in the East Coast without Durant, facing the Milwaukee Bucks (April 1), Boston Celtics (April 4), and the New York Knicks (April 6).
