Jalen Green led the Houston Rockets with 33 points in a 148-109 blowout victory over the Phoenix Suns on Sunday night.
Kevin Durant exited the game in the third quarter after rolling his ankle on Jabari Smith Jr.’s foot and was unable to put weight on his left leg.
Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer confirmed Durant will undergo an MRI on Monday and will miss Phoenix’s upcoming game against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Before his injury, Durant had 11 points in 23 minutes, but the Rockets had already taken control with a commanding 78-49 halftime lead.
Houston (49-26) has now won 12 of its last 13 games, strengthening its hold on the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, two games ahead of the Denver Nuggets.
Alperen Sengun contributed 16 points and nine rebounds, while Amen Thompson nearly recorded a triple-double with 12 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists.
With a 42-point lead entering the fourth quarter, Houston rested key players as the game was well out of reach.
Devin Booker finished with 28 points for the Suns, who dropped their third straight game and now trail the Dallas Mavericks by two games for the final play-in spot in the West.
Dillon Brooks was ejected in the second quarter after a brief altercation with Durant, receiving two technical fouls. Durant and Nick Richards were also assessed technicals.
After Brooks’ exit, the Rockets closed the half on a 23-11 run to extend their lead to 29 at the break.
Phoenix struggled with turnovers, committing 19 giveaways that led to 34 Houston points.
Houston shot 57.1% from the field and 58.1% from three, overpowering a Suns team that made just 10 of 32 attempts from beyond the arc.
The Suns hold the tiebreaker over the Mavericks but face a difficult schedule, with five of their last six games coming against playoff-bound teams.
With Durant sidelined indefinitely and Phoenix in desperate need of wins, the team faces an uphill battle to secure a play-in spot.
