A Phoenix Suns team desperately in need of wins could be without Kevin Durant for at least the start of a critical three-game road trip after Durant rolled his ankle on Sunday night against Houston.
The injury happened with 6:57 left in the third quarter, when the Suns were already down by 35. Durant drove the lane, stepped on Rockets’ Jabari Smith Jr.’s foot, and went to the ground. Durant had to be helped off the court and did not return to the game.
There was no update on Durant’s status postgame, he is set to get an MRI on Monday, although it’s telling that he will stay in Phoenix when the Suns head out for Milwaukee for the start of a three-game road trip on Tuesday. The Suns have six games remaining, spread across the next two weeks — it is very possible Durant could miss the rest of this season.
The Suns went on to lose to the Rockets 148-109 and are now 1.5 games behind the Kings for the final play-in spot in the West. Phoenix has lost three in a row, two of those by 30+ points, and is trending in the wrong direction. If Durant is going to miss time, the Suns’ odds of making the postseason become very slim, and the question of whether to shut down Devin Booker and others for the season becomes very real.
