Suns Speak on Kevin Durant Injury

Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant left action with an ankle sprain.

Dec 3, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) against San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) in the first half of an NBA Cup game at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

PHOENIX -- Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant suffered a sprained ankle in last night's win over the San Antonio Spurs, departing action with five minutes left in the first half and not returning.

After the game, Suns coach Mike Budenholzer didn't have a clear update:

"I think he stepped on somebody's foot there in transition, and at halftime it stiffened up. We'll have to evaluate him again in the morning, see how he feels coming out of it. See how he does overnight. But I don't really know a whole lot more," said Budenholzer, who also mentioned Durant did not have any imaging done at the time.

Durant previously missed two weeks with a calf strain just earlier in the year. His play was a massive proponent of Phoenix's 9-2 start, and the team lost five in a row after his departure from the lineup.

"Obviously tough. 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 was tough," Suns guard Devin Booker told reporters.

"But we still fought, they came out, punched us in the face to start the half. We just stuck with it, weathered the storm, and it was a growth moment for us."

Injuries to Phoenix's stars held them back last season, and that's again the case early through the 2024-25 campaign, though Budenholzer isn't looking for excuses.

"It's part of our league. We're not any different. I'm sure there's not a team in the league that's not dealing with some people in and out of the lineups. And 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 and guys can find ways to contribute," said Budenholzer.

"Other people have opportunities to get more minutes. So we'll just see how Kevin is and you just got to keep playing. You got to keep competing, keep getting stops, get out, run, play with each other, try and play the way we want to play."

Booker preached the same gospel in his post-game availability.

"Just understanding that everybody goes through it. All teams at some point through the season have to deal with it. I think 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 the playoffs, to where you just have to figure it out. No one talks about injuries after a season ends," he said.

We've still yet to hear any major updates on Durant, though it's reasonable to expect him out for the team's next game against the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday.