Kevin Durant’s ankle injury reportedly has the Phoenix Suns concerned that he could miss the remainder of the regular season.
The recently-acquired Suns forward sustained a left ankle injury during warmups and was ruled out before Wednesday’s 132-101 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
There is concern within the Suns organization that Durant has a Grade 2 sprain, which would keep him out between four and six weeks, according to The Arizona Republic.
If Durant is out for more than four weeks, he could potentially miss the start of the playoffs, which begin on April 15.
Durant — who was traded from the Nets to the Suns at the Feb. 9 trade deadline — left Footprint Center in a large walking boot.
He also wasn’t in the locker room for postgame media access and is scheduled for an MRI exam.
The two-time NBA Finals MVP was going up for a layup when he landed awkwardly on his left ankle, with video footage showing him falling to the floor.
Although Durant continued warming up after the injury, he was ultimately ruled out for the home contest.
That came after he returned to the court last Wednesday in a victory over the Hornets following a 52-day absence due to an MCL sprain.
Durant suffered the right knee injury on Jan. 8 at Miami that resulted in 20 missed games.
Durant averaged 26.7 points and 7.3 rebounds in his three games with Phoenix.
The Suns are 3-0 with Durant in the lineup as their regular season finale approaches on April 9.
Phoenix is currently in the No. 4 spot in the Western Conference with a 37-29 record.
After the game, Suns head coach Monty Williams said the team did not have “anything official to report” about Durant’s injury.
“Right now it’s just an ankle sprain, and we don’t have anything official to report,” Williams said. “I think every team in the NBA is cautious just because there is a care for the guys that are trying to win games and protect their livelihood, so that’s always at the highest place on the list. This will be no different.
“We’ll just have to wait and see how he responds to treatment and we’ll probably get more imaging just to make sure everybody’s on the same page.”
Suns point guard Devin Booker added that Durant is “in good spirits” after the injury.
“It is what it is, unfortunate thing, but you know, nothing serious,” Booker said. “… Control what you can control. The situation happened. He’s in good spirits and that’s all that matters to me so, you know, the rehab process starts now.”
Durant was expected to make his home debut on Wednesday.
Fans were paying ticket prices 226 percent higher than those before the trade for Durant, according to Front Office Sports.
Durant landed with the Suns after he requested a trade out of Brooklyn just before the trade deadline last month.
It came just a few days after the Nets traded Kyrie Irving to the Mavericks.
The Suns host the Kings (38-26) on Saturday.
