Kevin Durant was ruled out Wednesday night before his home debut with the Phoenix Suns after suffering an ankle injury during pregame warmups.
Video showed Durant warming up for his highly anticipated first game as a Suns player at the Footprint Center, and he appeared to slip on a dunk attempt.
After sitting on the court for a few seconds, Durant got up and finished his normal work before returning to the locker room. Doug Haller of The Athletic said Durant adjusted his shoes before working out for 10 more minutes.
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Kevin Durant of the Phoenix Suns handles the ball during a game on March 5, 2023 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. (Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)
Once he returned to the locker room, however, Durant was clearly unable to engage at full strength against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Suns fans have seen Durant in three games since his trade from the Brooklyn Nets, and he has performed at his usual All-Star level.
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It took a while for him to get on the court as he continued to deal with an MCL sprain since January. But once he came out against the Charlotte Hornets, Durant was 10-of-15 from the floor for 23 points with six rebounds and two assists in the win.
He scored 20 points against the Chicago Bulls in his next game. But he had his best performance against the Dallas Mavericks when he faced off against his former teammate Kyrie Irving, shooting 12 of 17 from the field and 10 of 11 from the charity strip for 37 points.
Kevin Durant (35) of the Phoenix Suns goes to the basket as Justin Holiday (0) of the Dallas Mavericks defends in the second half of a game at the American Airlines Center on March 5, 2023 in Dallas. The Suns won 130-126. (Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)
The Suns have won all three games with Durant in their lineup.
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Phoenix still has Devin Booker, Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton who can make up for the loss of Durant on the offensive end. However, the Suns have to hope this isn’t a long-term thing after Durant’s arrival created an impressive starting five to play against.
The Suns are the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference with a 36-29 record entering Wednesday, winning seven of their last 10 games.
Kevin Durant of the Phoenix Suns during a game on March 5, 2023 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. (Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)
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Their next game is Saturday against the Sacramento Kings.