Due to an ankle injury, Kevin Durant’s much-anticipated home debut on Wednesday was postponed, and the Phoenix Suns’ midseason acquisition will be out for the remainder of the month.
That leaves Durant watching from the sideline when the Suns have the Sacramento Lords on Saturday in a Western Gathering confrontation.
Durant will be re-evaluated in three weeks, according to the Suns’ announcement on Thursday, and there is speculation that he may miss the remainder of the regular season. The Phoenix Suns face the Los Angeles Clippers on April 9.
Durant shot 69 percent (29 of 42) from the field in his first three games with the Suns, all of which were played on the road, and averaged 26.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game.
Durant’s departure comes at a time when Phoenix is playing well, winning 16 of their last 21 games and four in a row. However, as they prepare for a run to the postseason, the Suns were still hoping to become completely at ease with Durant on the court.
Without Kevin Durant, the Phoenix Suns dominated the Oklahoma City Thunder 132-101 on Wednesday. However, coach Monty Williams observed that Durant’s face lacked joy.
Devin Booker, a star guard, has scored at least 35 points in four games in a row, shooting 17-for-23 from the field to score 44 points. During this stretch, he is scoring 38 points on average.
The Suns (37-29) have moved up to fourth in the West, but they still want to be the No. 2 seed. Sacramento (39-26) and Memphis Grizzlies share that position going into Friday.
Following their 122-117 victory over the visiting New York Knicks on Thursday, the Kings have now won seven of their last eight games.
Domantas Sabonis matched his league-leading 53 double-doubles with 24 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists for his ninth triple-double of the season. In the final period, fellow All-Star De’Aaron Fox scored 15 of his 23 points.
Against the Suns, Sacramento coach Mike Brown will closely monitor one aspect. He was unhappy with the Knicks’ 58-42 rebounding advantage and 23-6 offensive boards advantage.
The longest current playoff drought among the four major professional sports is 16 seasons, and Sacramento is well on its way to ending it. The Kings are just three wins away from securing their first winning season since 2005-06, which was also the season in which they made their last appearance in the postseason.
Booker scored 38 points per game earlier this season as Phoenix defeated Sacramento twice.
