Though the injury report remains yet to be seen, Phoenix Suns head coach Monty Williams doesn’t see any setbacks that will hinder Kevin Durant from playing against the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday.
“I can’t speak too soon but I don’t foresee that. We’ll have to wait and see. He didn’t show any ill effects from his minutes tonight,” Williams said following the Suns’ 124-105 road win against the Chicago Bulls on Friday.
“Thankfully I didn’t have to throw him back out there. We’ll see how he responds.”
Playing his second official game as a new member of the Suns after not playing over a month due to an MCL sprain, Durant was productive in 31 minutes of play as he chipped in 20 markers on 7-of-10 shooting. He also grabbed nine boards and threw six assists to contribute to Phoenix’s dominant win.
As such, all eyes are certainly watching his availability this weekend, as the Suns are scheduled to travel to Texas for a marquee Western Conference showdown with the Dallas Mavericks. If made active, Durant will officially face star point man and ex-teammate Kyrie Irving – setting the narratives bar even higher for the much-awaited clash.
Both Durant and Irving were the lead men of the Brooklyn Nets team for 3 ½ campaigns and proceeded to head in different pathways this 2022-23 midseason after a failed controversial and drama-marred collaboration.
“Kevin’s been in more big games and more situations than all of us. He understands how to prepare if he felt like he was in harm’s way. I think he would tell us,” Williams added.
“But I haven’t heard anything and I don’t foresee anything, but nothing’s official yet.”
The Suns will enter the Dallas territory holding the fourth-best record in the West with a 35-29 card, while the Mavs will look to maintain their hold on the tight postseason positioning race with their 33-31 record, ranked sixth on the other hand.
