2 days Ago
Suns coach Mike Budenholzer said Durant will have an MRI on his left ankle Monday and will not accompany the team to Milwaukee for a game Tuesday night. Phoenix Suns All-Star Kevin Durant was helped to the locker room with 6:57 left in the third quarter against Houston on Sunday night after falling to the floor in a collision with the Rockets’ Jabari Smith Jr. Smith was called for a foul under the Phoenix basket as Durant fell to the floor.
The 6-foot-10 forward eventually got to his feet, but could not put any weight on his left leg. He appeared to step on Smith’s foot when he fell. Durant finished with 11 points in 23 minutes, but the Rockets were already well ahead, having taken a 78-49 lead at halftime.
Houston (49-26) has won 12 of its last 13 and is second in the Western Conference standings, two games ahead of Denver. Alperen Sengun had 16 points and nine rebounds and rookie Amen Thompson had 12 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists for the Rockets. Neither played in the fourth quarter as Houston led by 42 points.
Devin Booker scored 28 points for the Suns, who fell two games behind Dallas for the final play-in spot in the West with six games remaining. It was Phoenix’s third loss in a row. After Houston’s 148-109 victory, Suns coach Mike Budenholzer said Durant will have an MRI on his left ankle Monday and will not accompany the team to Milwaukee for a game Tuesday night.
The Suns also have games at Boston and New York in the next seven days. With just two weeks remaining, and six games in all, the Suns were already facing an uphill battle to qualify for the final Western Conference play-in berth. Phoenix trails Dallas by two games.
Durant played 23 minutes, scoring 11 points and grabbing eight rebounds. Earlier this season, he moved into eighth place on the NBA career scoring list..
