The Oklahoma City Thunder are once again dealing with a health concern involving one of their marquee players, as reigning NBA MVP Kevin Durant had to exit the team's road contest versus the Golden State Warriors Thursday night with a right ankle injury. He's set to miss his fourth straight game vs. the Spurs on Thursday.Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman first had the report after Durant failed to come out for the second half with the Warriors leading 65-63. He was injured with seconds left in the first half while picking up an offensive foul for charging into Marreese Speights. The Thunder star had 30 points when he left.
Durant previously missed the first 17 games of the season due to a foot issue. His absence obviously played a major role in the squad's slow start. ESPN Stats & Info passed along some numbers to illustrate how much the offense struggled while he was sidelined:Oklahoma City returned from the offseason as one of the league's top championship contenders. Now, as the team awaits further word on the extent of Durant's latest setback, injuries are threatening to derail those high hopes.
It must also be frustrating for the 26-year-old superstar. He never missed more than eight games in any season during his first seven years in the NBA. Now he's already been out more than double that total in 2014-15, and the number may rise.
When he first returned from the foot injury, he talked about needing some time to get back into elite form, as noted by Brett Martel of The Associated Press:Although the season is still at the stage where it's too soon to press the panic button, luck hasn't been on the Thunder's side so far. They need an extended stretch with all of their key pieces healthy to start building some positive vibes.
The outlook should become clearer once they provide an update on Durant. And, on a different level, there's always something missing from the NBA when he's not playing. The league thrives on star power, and he's one of the main draws right now.
Source http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2288227-kevin-durant-injury-updates-on-thunder-stars-ankle-and-return
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