Suns Trying to Stay Positive After Kevin Durant Injury

Suns coach Monty Williams said there’s not a whole lot you can do about the injury to star forward Kevin Durant, who is expected to miss at least two weeks with a sprained ankle.

“He’s out there working his tail off getting ready for the game and he twists his ankle,” Williams said, via Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic. “You can’t get frustrated about that. It’s life. I feel bad for him because he feels bad. He feels like, I saw his face and I’ve been around him so many times. I know what he’s feeling. I don’t want him feeling that way at all.”

Durant has appeared in just three games with Phoenix since the February trade that brought him over from the Nets. He missed time before that as the result of a sprained knee he suffered with Brooklyn.

With Durant, the Suns are considered major contenders in the Western Conference and perhaps even for a championship. Without him … well, we’re about to find out.

As for Durant himself, it was just a matter of bad luck, when he drove to the basket to shoot a layup in pregame warmups, landing awkwardly and injuring the ankle. The swelling reportedly already has subsided and he is expected to have the injury reassessed in two weeks.

“He’s in good spirits,” shooting guard Devin Booker said, via Rankin. “That’s all that matters to me. The rehab process starts now.”

Durant, 34, is averaging 26.7 points in his three games with Phoenix, and 29.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 5.2 assists in 42 games overall. He is shooting 57 percent from the field, 39 percent on 3-pointers and a sizzling 93 percent on free throws.

The Suns (37-29) sit in second place in the Pacific Division and fourth in the Western Conference.

Here’s video of Kevin Durant slipping on the floor pregame.

He stayed down for a few seconds but then got up and finished his on-court work. pic.twitter.com/DwTrNc6LIr

— Kellan Olson (@KellanOlson) March 9, 2023