The Phoenix Suns will have to wait for Kevin Durant’s home debut.
Durant injured his left ankle during pregame warm-ups on Wednesday ruled out due to soreness shortly before tip against the Oklahoma City Thunder. He tripped and fell on his way to the basket during a pregame drill.
Athletic’s Doug Haller reports That Durant tightened his shoes and continued to warm up for 10 minutes after the fall. The extent of his injury was initially unclear, but by Wednesday proved too much to play.
Durant joined the Suns via trade from the Brooklyn Nets before the NBA’s February trade deadline. At that point he was sidelined with an MCL injury that caused him to miss 20 games.
He made his debut with the Suns on March 1 on the road against the Charlotte Hornets. The Suns won that game and two subsequent road games against the Chicago Bulls and Dallas Mavericks. Durant and fellow All-Star Devin Booker have flourished on the court together, raising hopes in Phoenix that the Suns will compete for a championship.
Wednesday’s game against the Thunder was Durant’s highly anticipated home debut with his new franchise. Instead, he and Suns fans will have to wait at least one more game and hope the injury isn’t serious. The Suns next face the Sacramento Kings at home on Saturday.
