December 4th (UPI) — Phoenix Suns coach Mike Budenholzer said Kevin Durant would be assessed to ascertain the severity of his injury after he injured his left ankle and fell to the ground during a drive against the San Antonio Spurs.
At the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Durant suffered the injury with 4:30 left in the first half of Tuesday’s 104-93 NBA Cup group round victory.
Before going to the bench and not coming back in the second half, he was on the floor for a short while.
“We will have to evaluate him again in the morning, see how he feels coming out of it, see how he does overnight,” Budenholzer said on Durant. “I don’t really know a whole lot more than the report at halftime.”
During Durant’s injury sequence, the Suns were attacking the Spurs in transition. After crossing half court, Suns guard Devin Booker sent a ball to Durant, who was on his left. The Spurs forward leaped for a shot after the Suns forward dribbled in front of him, but trod on his left foot.
Durant grabbed his ankle right away and was assisted in standing up. On the play, Champagnie was also called for a foul. Durant attempted two free throws and made one. On the following Suns possession, he also made a jump shot before leaving the game.
In 16:29, Durant scored 13 points on 5 of 8 shots, including two 3-pointers. In addition, he had two assists and four rebounds. With five assists and five rebounds, Booker scored a game-high 29 points. Devin Vassell, a forward and guard for the Spurs, scored 25 points off the bench during the defeat.
Durant made 13 starts for the Suns this season and averaged 25.8 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game. Over 75 starts in the previous season, the four-time scoring champion, 14-time All-Star, and 11-time All-NBA selection averaged 27.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 5.0 assists.
At 8 p.m. EST on Thursday, the Suns (12-8) will play the New Orleans Pelicans (4-18) in New Orleans. At 8 p.m. on Thursday, the Spurs (11-10) will play the Chicago Bulls (9-13) in San Antonio.
