Phoenix Suns All-Star Kevin Durant had to be assisted to the locker room with 6:57 remaining in the third quarter during a game against the Houston Rockets on Sunday night. The injury occurred after a collision with Rockets’ Jabari Smith Jr., who was called for a foul under the Suns’ basket.
Durant, standing 6-foot-10, managed to get back on his feet but couldn’t put any weight on his left leg. It appeared he had stepped on Smith’s foot as he fell.
Following Houston’s 148-109 victory, Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer announced that Durant would undergo an MRI on his left ankle the next day. He will not travel with the team to Milwaukee for their game on Tuesday and will miss upcoming matchups against Boston and New York within the next week.
With only two weeks left in the regular season and six games remaining, the Suns face a tough challenge to secure the final Western Conference play-in spot, currently trailing Dallas by two games.
Durant had played 23 minutes, scoring 11 points and collecting eight rebounds before the injury. Earlier this season, he moved into eighth place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.
