Kevin Durant Phoenix Suns

2023 - 3 - 30

Suns star Kevin Durant returns, scores 16 points in home debut (ABC News)

After suffering a hard-to-believe left ankle sprain when he slipped during warmups before a March 8 matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Durant was just ...

So the respect for what he's done for this game and what he's done for I know me personally is there, and you just want to perform. The group knows that Durant has the ability to take them to another level this season, and Wednesday's game offered another reminder of just how much better the group can be even when the future Hall of Famer is having an off night. "It's confidence for everybody," Booker said of having Durant back. Despite the setbacks, he laughed off the idea that he had been cursed by the injury bug given the randomness of his latest injuries. I'm sure he was [jittery], because he wants to make every shot." They have no doubt that Durant, who said his ankle "felt great," will find his rhythm in no time -- which is good news for a Suns team, now 41-35, that has just six regular-season games left and is fourth in the Western Conference standings. "It was hard for me to stop thinking about the game. Rehab is one of them, so I just try to do my best in that and come back and pick up where I left off." "It was hard for me to get sleep today," Durant said. They were just happy to have him out on the floor again. "You look at the shooting numbers, you're like, 'That's not Kevin,'" Suns coach Monty Williams said. He happily bounded through the Suns' locker room and into the team's training room with a message for the waiting staff.

Post cover — Image courtesy of "AZCentral.com"

How Phoenix Suns won with Kevin Durant having rare off-shooting ... (AZCentral.com)

Kevin Durant shot 5-of-18 in scoring 16 points, but Phoenix won its third straight game Wednesday in beating Minnesota in Durant's home debut.

Towns had 20 points in the first half. He’s had issues with it for a couple of weeks. [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) or contact him at 480-787-1240. Durant is a team guy, too. And yes, Durant standing in the corner flattens out the defense, but when guys were going for theirs instead of getting an open Durant the ball, that partly led to him pressing and forcing the action. Williams played 10 guys with Durant back in the lineup. At one point in the first half, Durant was standing in the corner wide open and waving his hands but the ball never found him. Rudy Gobert was called for offensive fouls on screens late in the game that contributed to that turnover number, but Phoenix played a part in that with their defense and outhustling the T-Wolves. The Suns remain undefeated with Durant in the lineup. He appeared to be pressing in the first half and lacked rhythm. Understandable, but part of that was him being open and not getting the ball. Phoenix (41-35) stayed in that fourth playoff spot with a 107-100 victory over Minnesota that kept the Clippers (41-36) and Warriors (40-37) at bay and pushed the Timberwolves (39-38) further away in the seventh spot.

Kevin Durant rusty in his return, but Suns find a different way to win (The Athletic)

Kevin Durant's sprained ankle, suffered March 8 during pregame warmups, interrupted his process. It showed in Wednesday's return to action.

[Clippers](https://theathletic.com/nba/team/clippers/) in the Western Conference. [Mikal Bridges](https://theathletic.com/nba/player/mikal-bridges-dmZgViDJ3He5ZrQp/) left for [Brooklyn](https://theathletic.com/nba/team/nets/) in the Durant trade, getting stops has been a problem. Minnesota’s [Karl-Anthony Towns](https://theathletic.com/nba/player/karl-anthony-towns-hLzEwRUGfKRoGAbX/) had 25 points, but only five came in the second half. “I made more shots in the second half, so I guessed it helped.” No one in the Phoenix locker room was concerned. [Deandre Ayton](https://theathletic.com/nba/player/deandre-ayton-PlF5bckQOtrRhpgu/) said. He hit two 3s in the fourth. [Minnesota Timberwolves](https://theathletic.com/nba/team/timberwolves/) came on the Suns’ first possession. Overall, Phoenix held the Timberwolves, who had won four in a row, to 16 points below their season average. Four minutes later, [Chris Paul](https://theathletic.com/nba/player/chris-paul-T2sfGOMEeDjjOrJH/) found Durant on a secondary break. It was this kind of shot-making that made Durant one of the game’s top all-time scorers, the kind that had Suns fans thinking championship. Ballers like Durant fall in love with the process.

Suns' Kevin Durant on Return from Injury: 'We Got Through That S--t!' (Bleacher Report)

Phoenix Suns superstar forward Kevin Durant wasn't at his best Wednesday night, but he seemed thrilled to get through a 107-100 home win over the Minnesota…

It was hard for me to stop thinking about the game. "It was hard for me to get sleep today. That included making just one of his eight shot attempts in the first half.

Suns star Kevin Durant's NSFW reaction following victory over ... (ClutchPoints)

Following a win over the Timberwolves, Kevin Durant issues a NSFW message Tuesday night following his home debut with the Phoenix Suns.

In just 28 minutes played–participated with the stipulation of Serving as his first home game out in the desert, the superstar came out a bit lethargic early on in the contest, as he dropped just 3 points on 1-of-8 shooting from the floor through the first half of action. As time went on, however, the forward wound up finding his sea legs.

Kevin Durant's return to Phoenix Suns makes them NBA title ... (USA TODAY)

When new Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia went all in and acquired Kevin Durant in a seismic trade with the Brooklyn Nets at the February trade deadline, ...

There is some jockeying to avoid the fifth seed and a matchup against the Suns in the first round. The Suns are not locked into the fourth seed. Phoenix wants the fourth seed in order to have home-court advantage for at least one round. That’s a lot to lose. It’s a small sample – just four games – but the early returns are promising. That’s a ton of offense and a serious problem for opposing defenses. Denver; at Los Angeles Lakers; vs. Durant, a two-time champion, two-time Finals MVP and 2013-14 season MVP, is No. Bridges and Johnson were key players for the 2021 NBA finalists, quality defenders and double-digit scorers. Warren, Torrey Craig, Cameron Payne, Terrence Ross and Bismack Biyombo. Durant is a point-getter extraordinaire. At 34, Durant is still a lethal scorer.

Monty Williams Not Worried About Kevin Durant's Rusty Return ... (Sports Illustrated)

It wasn't the home debut Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant wanted on a personal level, yet he and his teammates will happily take the end result in a win ...

Kevin Durant reveals 'anxious' expectations with Suns (ClutchPoints)

Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant admits there is a bit of anxiety playing in a star-studded team going into the playoffs.

The Suns — currently the No. “I feel pretty good,” Durant told The Athletic when asked how he felt being on a team with Booker, Paul and Ayton. At the same time, he acknowledges there is a “little anxiety” going into each game because of the target on their backs.

Kevin Durant, Suns Hope to Keep Building as Regular Season ... (Sports Illustrated)

Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant was still able to impact the game in other ways besides scoring in his home debut.

Kevin Durant Phoenix Suns

Explore the last week