It was a bad day at the office for the Phoenix Suns.
They suffered their third straight loss on Sunday, which came in the form of an embarrassing 148-109 home loss against the Houston Rockets at PHX Arena.
Unfortunately, that was not the worst bit of news for Phoenix. Kevin Durant was unable to finish the game after rolling his ankle pretty badly in the third quarter. After heading into the locker room, the Suns revealed that the former MVP would not be able to return to the game.
Phoenix head coach Mike Budenholzer spoke to reporters after the game, and as expected, one of the biggest questions he faced centered around Durant's status moving forward.
Budenholzer announced that the Suns have decided to leave Durant in Phoenix ahead of their upcoming three-game road trip, per team beat reporter Duane Rankin of AZ Central. Moreover, the 15-time All-Star is expected to undergo an MRI on Monday morning to determine the severity of his ankle injury.
Mike Budenholzer said Kevin Durant will stay back in Phoenix as Suns go on the road to face Milwaukee to begin a three-game road trip Tuesday.
Will get an MRI tomorrow morning.
Suffered a left ankle sprain in third quarter and didn't return. #Suns#Rockets
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) March 31, 2025
The fact that the Suns have already ruled Durant out for the next three games without having determined the full extent of the injury could be considered a pretty troubling development. Phoenix will likely provide an official update once his test results come back on Monday, but it's not looking very good at this point.
It is important to note that the Suns are battling for the 10th and final Play-In spot in the West. After Sunday's loss, they are now 1.5 games outside the Play-In picture with seven games remaining, and potentially without Durant for an extended stretch.
Related: Suns Dealt Unfortunate Kevin Durant Blow During Rockets Game
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This story was originally published March 30, 2025 at 9:04 PM.