Kevin Durant was scratched Wednesday night ahead of his Phoenix Suns home debut after suffering an ankle injury during pregame warmups.
Video showed Durant warming up for his highly anticipated first game as a Suns player at Footprint Center, and he appeared to slip on a dunk attempt.
After staying seated on the court for a few seconds, Durant got back up and finished his normal work before heading back to the locker room. Doug Haller of The Athletic said Durant tightened his sneakers before working out for 10 more minutes.
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Kevin Durant of the Phoenix Suns handles the ball during a game March 5, 2023, at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. (Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)
However, once he got back to the locker room, Durant clearly couldn’t participate at full strength against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Suns fans have witnessed Durant in three games since his trade from the Brooklyn Nets, and he’s delivered at his usual All-Star level.
It took some time to get on the court, as he continued to deal with an MCL sprain from January. But once he got out there against the Charlotte Hornets, Durant went 10 of 15 from the floor for 23 points with six rebounds and two assists in the win.
He dropped 20 points against the Chicago Bulls in his next game. But he had his best performance against the Dallas Mavericks while facing former teammate Kyrie Irving, making 12 of 17 from the field and 10 of 11 from the charity stripe for 37 points.
Kevin Durant (35) of the Phoenix Suns goes to the basket as Justin Holiday (0) of the Dallas Mavericks defends in the second half of a game at American Airlines Center March 5, 2023, in Dallas. The Suns won 130-126. (Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)
The Suns have won all three games with Durant in their lineup.
Phoenix still boasts Devin Booker, Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton, who can make up for the loss of Durant on the offensive end. However, the Suns have to hope this isn’t anything long-term after Durant’s arrival created an imposing starting five to play against.
The Suns are the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference at 36-29 entering Wednesday, winning seven of their last 10 games.
Kevin Durant of the Phoenix Suns during a game March 5, 2023, at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. (Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)
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Their next game is Saturday against the Sacramento Kings.
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