Kevin Durant left the Phoenix Suns’ matchup with the Houston Rockets early on Sunday night after rolling his ankle hard in the second half.
The injury came just a quarter after the Suns star got into it briefly with Rockets forward Dillon Brooks — who was then ejected from the game after the scuffle.
Durant was driving to the basket in the third quarter at the Footprint Center when his left foot landed completely on Jabari Smith Jr.’s foot in the lane. Durant’s left ankle rolled hard, which sent him down to the court awkwardly, clearly in a lot of pain.
He was helped up and limped off the floor and back to the locker room. He did not return.
Kevin Durant stepped on a foot and rolled his ankle.
He limped off the court and into the locker room.pic.twitter.com/VlKBV1A0Js
— Jake García (@Jake_M_Garcia) March 31, 2025
Further specifics on his injury are not yet known. Durant drew a foul on the play, but he did not remain in the game to shoot the free throws. He ended his night with 11 points and seven rebounds.
The injury came after an incident with Brooks in the second quarter, though Durant was far from the aggressor there. Brooks was called for a simple foul while trying to guard Durant at the top of the key late in the first half. But well after the initial whistle was blown, Brooks kept making a play for the ball — which led to a bit of shoving between Brooks, Durant and Nick Richards.
But, when Brooks didn’t let it go and started yelling at the official, he was quickly hit with a pair of technicals and thrown out of the game. Once the official ejected Brooks, he actually briefly tried to charge at the official. An assistant held him back, and then the two left the floor for the locker room.
Dillon Brooks was ejected following a heated exchange with Kevin Durant and the refs 😳
(via @HoHighlights) pic.twitter.com/PwwwARbsxp
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) March 31, 2025
Brooks finished with eight points, one rebound and one assist in 11 minutes. He now has 15 technical fouls this season. He also entered Sunday’s game leading the league in fouls this season with 235.
The Rockets, despite Brooks’ ejection, still took a huge 29-point lead into halftime. They outscored the Suns by 21 points in the second quarter alone.
This post will be updated with more information shortly.
Kevin Durant stepped on Jabari Smith Jr.’s foot while driving to the basket in the third quarter and rolled his ankle hard.
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