Phoenix Suns fans will have to wait a little longer to get their first live and up-close look at new star Kevin Durant.
Moments ahead of Wednesday’s contest with the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Footprint Center, Durant went from a starter to being scratched from the Phoenix Suns lineup.
The quick change occurred after Durant suffered an ankle injury during pregame warmups. While going up for a layup, Durant appeared to slip, twisting his ankle awkwardly before falling to the court.
Durant immediately returned to his feet but was soon ruled out for the game. The team officially listed Durant as out with left ankle soreness.
Durant’s absence had to disappoint fans eager to see him perform on the team’s home floor for the first time. Though, at least it wasn’t due to the dreaded “load management.”
Some might feel the hit in their bank accounts, however. According to Doug Greenberg of Front Office Sports, Suns fans are paying upwards of 226% more for tickets than before Durant’s arrival to “The Valley.”
While the extent of Durant’s injury is still unknown, if this is only a scare, Suns fans won’t have to wait much longer to see him suit up. Phoenix has two days off after Wednesday’s contest against the Thunder but will host the Sacramento Kings on Saturday.
Durant sat out six games with the Suns after being acquired in a trade last month from the Brooklyn Nets. However, since debuting for Phoenix on March 1 against the Charlotte Hornets, he has Suns fans rightfully excited.
As a Sun, Durant is averaging 26.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 3.7 assists, and the Suns are 3-0 when he takes the floor.
There have been no further updates on Durant’s injury, but it’s sure to be a hot topic of conversation going into Thursday. If Durant is out for an extended period, it could derail the Suns’ plans for a deep postseason run and change the Western Conference landscape with the playoffs approaching.
The Suns (36-29) entered Wednesday in fourth place in the West, 2.5 games behind the Memphis Grizzlies (38-26) and Sacramento Kings (38-26) for second and 10 games back of the Denver Nuggets (46-19) for the top spot.
