PHOENIX — Kevin Durant caught the pass just inside the Phoenix Suns logo. The Suns forward dribbled twice and tried to split two defenders. In doing so, Durant drew a foul. He also stepped on the foot of San Antonio Spurs forward Julian Champagnie.
Durant reached for his left ankle as he fell. He rolled on the court and lay on his back, looking at the Footprint Center rafters. Teammates Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro helped Durant to his feet. The 14-time All-Star walked gingerly to the foul line, where he made one of two free throws. Twenty seconds later, Durant hit a short jump shot.
With 3 minutes and 51 seconds left before halftime, Durant subbed out. He did not play the rest of the half, and he did not return for the third quarter, ruled out with a left ankle sprain. After Tuesday night’s 104-93 win, coach Mike Budenholzer said Durant’s ankle stiffened at halftime and that he’ll be evaluated Wednesday.
The Suns improved to 12-8. Despite the win, they did not post the margin needed to advance in the NBA Cup, but Durant’s ankle trumped the in-season tournament disappointment. Did it look serious? No. Is it a huge deal? Probably not.
Except it keeps happening. Sprains and strains are the only things that have stopped Durant in months. And, in many cases, the Phoenix Suns as well.
“You know, it’s part of our league,” Budenholzer said. “I’m sure there’s not a team in the league that’s not dealing with some people in and out of the lineups. Hopefully, we teach and start to learn a way of playing that’s good for everybody regardless of who’s healthy and who’s not. … You got to keep competing.”
After playing 75 games last season, Durant has not had great basketball fortune. He missed about a month leading up to the Summer Olympics because of a right calf issue. He was incredible to start this season, his 18th, but then injured his left calf. He missed seven games before returning Nov. 26. The Suns went 1-6 without him.
“Obviously, tough,” guard Devin Booker said after scoring 29 points, which included the 15,000th of his career. “It’s impossible to replace what he brings to our team. Even just his presence around the team, not even having him on the bench in the second half is tough. But we still fought.”
It’s not just Durant. Bradley Beal has missed eight games because of a calf injury and other issues. Center Jusuf Nurkic is out for at least a week with a right thigh contusion. The Suns, a team that’s spent most of two seasons trying to see what’s possible, are getting nicked to death.
“That’s the game,” said Beal, who had 10 points, nine rebounds and four assists. “Can’t really be mad at it. Can’t blame anything. Can’t feel a way. It is what it is.”
“Everybody goes through it,” Booker said. “All teams at some point through the season have to deal with it. It’s a special time for more opportunity, for other people to get a chance, because you never know what’s going to happen later in the season or even in the playoffs to where you just have to figure it out. No one talks about injuries after a season ends.”
Not long after getting traded to Phoenix at the 2023 deadline, Durant sprained his left ankle while warming up before a home game. He missed three weeks. It was mostly just a nuisance except it robbed Phoenix of time needed to build chemistry before the playoffs. If Durant is out for a similar stretch this time, the Suns will need to figure out how to survive, especially in the final minutes, when Durant often excelled.
They did this against the Spurs. After San Antonio pulled within 75-71, the Suns opened the fourth quarter with a 15-2 push. Booker did his part, scoring 12 points. Beal hit a big corner 3. Phoenix also got strong contributions from Royce O’Neale (5 points) and Monte Morris (three assists). In addition, the Suns held the Spurs to 7-of-29 shooting in the final quarter.
After losing Durant, it was a nice response. They’ll have to keep it going.
“The more time out there, the more things we figure out, the more situations that we’re put in that we learn from,” Booker said. “We have a super-intelligent team — top to bottom — so it’s fun to make adjustments, change our play style, having to do that on the fly when we’re missing players.”
(Photo: Mark J. Rebilas / Imagn Images)
