The early-season injuries to NBA stars just keep piling up.
Kevin Durant has suffered a left calf strain and will be out for at least two weeks when he will be re-evaluated, the team announced.
This is the opposite calf from the one Durant strained during the offseason that had him out of Team USA practices leading up to the Paris Olympics. Durant suffered this injury on Friday night in a win over the Dallas Mavericks, although exactly when is unclear. KD reportedly grabbed and rubbed his left calf on the bench but checked into the final seven-plus minutes of the game and led Phoenix to the victory, scoring 26 on the night.
It’s a rough blow for the 8-1 Suns, who have seven games in 11 days coming up (including a four-game road trip) but that is followed by a six-day break in the schedule when KD might be able to practice and return.
Durant has played at an MVP level and is the team’s leading scorer at 27.6 points a game, shooting 42.9% from 3 and adding 6.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists a night. More importantly, the Suns are 7-0 in clutch games this season (games within five points in the final five minutes) and Durant has scored more points in the clutch (35) than any player in the league. Durant has found a rhythm under coach Mike Budenholzer and his system that was lacking for the future Hall of Famer a year ago (playing in the Paris Olympics this summer also seemed to give him a boost).
Royce O’Neale, who has thrived off the Phoenix bench, likely moves into the starting lineup for the next few weeks. In those tight games, it will be time for Devin Booker and Bradley Beal to step up and be closers.
The Suns also could be without surprising standout rookie Ryan Dunn, who missed Friday’s game after rolling his ankle and could miss more time.
With a fast 8-1 start the Suns have built themselves a little cushion, but in this deep Western Conference not much of one — they are just 2.5 games above the play-in at the start of play Sunday. They can’t afford a couple of rough weeks without KD.
