Kevin Durant Slips and Injures Ankle Prior to Game; MRI Scheduled

On March 8, 2023, Kevin Durant suffered a left ankle sprain after slipping during pregame warmups before what was supposed to be his first home game with the Suns. The team is hopeful that Durant did not sustain a serious injury, but he will undergo an MRI on March 10, 2023, to determine the severity of the sprain. After the Suns’ 132-101 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder, Durant left Footprint Center in a walking boot.

Suns coach Monty Williams expressed his sympathy for Durant, saying, “I feel bad for him because he feels bad. I saw his face, and I know what he’s feeling, and I don’t want him feeling that way at all.” In Durant’s absence, Devin Booker scored 44 points on 17-of-23 shooting in just 28 minutes, leading the team to their fourth consecutive win.

Durant lost his balance while doing an individual drill with coaches before tipoff, briefly lying on the court before finishing his workout. After returning to the locker room, he experienced some swelling and was ruled out of the game. Some teammates were unaware of the incident until they saw Durant on the training table.

Chris Paul, who scored 18 points with nine assists, spoke about Durant’s love for the game, saying, “In this league, you realize some people like to play. Some people love to play. Kev is one of the people that just loves to hoop.” The focus of the night shifted to Booker, who became the first player in Suns history to score 35 or more points in four consecutive games. He is currently shooting 60% overall and 53% on 3-pointers during that stretch.

Booker acknowledged the disappointment of the fans who missed out on Durant’s first home game, saying, “We’ll reschedule the party. I’m sure they’ll be back, people that missed out on tonight. I tried to give them a little something to make it better.”