Kevin Durant looks rusty after an ankle sprain, but Suns still top Wolves

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By Webdesk



Nearly seven weeks after being traded from the Brooklyn Nets to the Phoenix Suns, Kevin Durant finally made his home debut with his new team. He looked very much like a player who was fit only three times since January 8 due to various injuries, as he finished with 16 points, eight rebounds and four assists on 5 of 18 from the field in the Suns’ 107–100 win. over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Durant was already sidelined with an MCL sprain when the blockbuster deal to send him from the Nets to the Suns went through at the February 9 trade deadline. Nearly a month later, he made his Suns debut on a road trip and pulled off three runs—all wins in which the Suns’ onslaught seemed unstoppable. But just when it looked like the new Suns were about to roll, he sprained his ankle in a freak accident during pre-game warmups, which should have been his home debut on March 8.

Finally, after several delays, Durant was able to speak in Phoenix on Wednesday. Head coach Monty Williams tried to get him going early by running the opening set for him, but Durant missed a mid-range jumper. That turned out to be a bit of a foreshadowing, as the normally automatic Durant struggled to find range all night. Not only was his 5-of-18 shooting performance his least efficient night of the season, it was only the 17th time in 982 regular season games he shot under 28 percent of the field with at least 15 field goal attempts, according to Stathead.

“When you look at the shooting numbers, you think, ‘That’s not Kevin,'” said Suns head coach Monty Williams said. “But I think the way he stuck with it when he hit the 3s in the third quarter, that’s Kevin. He’s not going to run from shots like that.” (Durant even hit two threes in the fourth quarter, but the point remains.)

The good news for the Suns is that they won after all, and Durant is unlikely to have any worse shooting performance than this one. He also has six more regular season games to shake off the remaining rust before the playoffs, which open April 15.

As for the postseason, the Suns are in a battle with the Los Angeles Clippers for the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference. At 41-35, they are half a game ahead of the Clippers and lead the series between the clubs 2-1 with one game left on the final day of the regular season.





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