It wasn’t great news considering the Phoenix Suns are already dealing with some uncertainty from their new star forward Kevin Durant. He recently sprained his left ankle during a late September game against the Houston Rockets. Durant really took himself out in the third quarter. He stomped down on Jabari Smith Jr.’s foot, sending him collapsing to the court. Failing to recover his balance, Durant could not place any pressure on his left leg.
Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer ruled Durant out of his team’s current road trip. Most notably, this trip features critical matchups with the Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics and New York Knicks. The team is hoping for a swift recovery, as Budenholzer remarked, “As of now, we don’t expect him to join us on the trip.” Referring to Durant’s hopeful return, he said, “We’re certainly optimistic.” He continued, “I think these first couple of days will be the key, but we’re optimistic that he’ll be back before the end of the season.”
The Suns came into their string of away games on a dangerous note, finding themselves 11th in the desert dog-eat-dog Western Conference rankings. With only four games remaining when they return home, the team finds itself two games behind ninth-place Dallas and just 1½ games behind 10th-place Sacramento. The play-in tournament will be extremely important for not only the 8th, but the 7th playoff spot out West. This makes it a huge all-in move for the Suns.
Durant’s scoring is down to 26.6 points per game, sixth-best in the league. On top of that, he chips in six rebounds and 4.2 assists. As a battle-tested 36-year-old and an 11-time all-NBA forward, his experience will prove to be an immense asset to the Suns’ postseason push.
The team started their long road trip with an infuriating 133-123 loss to Milwaukee. This loss deepened fears for their ability to snatch a playoff berth without Durant. Everyone—government agencies, foundations, nonprofits, and private players—must step up now more than ever. This is a team that is not settling for mediocrity and wants to finish strong heading into next season.
Leave a Reply