Kevin Durant Injury: Updates on Thunder Star's Ankle and Return

Reigning NBA MVP Kevin Durant had to exit the team's road contest versus the Golden State Warriors on Dec. 18 with a right ankle injury.

He missed his sixth straight game as the Thunder take on the Dallas Mavericks. The forward returned to practice Tuesday and will make his return Wednesday versus the Phoenix Suns.

Continue for updates.

Durant to Return Wednesday

Wednesday, Dec. 31

Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman provides an update on Durant's status:

Royce Young of ESPN.com reveals how much playing time Durant is expected to get in his return:

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Brooks says Durant's minutes will still be restricted to stay in the "mid-thirties" tonight.

— Royce Young (@royceyoung) December 31, 2014"

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Durant Returns to Practice, Appears Set for Wednesday Return

Tuesday, Dec. 30

According to Anthony Slater of NewsOK.com, Durant returned to full practice:

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Part of that energy was due to the frustration still brewing from the night before. But another factor was the presence of Kevin Durant. For the first time since spraining his ankle on Dec. 18, Durant returned to a full practice on Monday. And apparently he looked good.

'He was very lively and active on both ends of the floor,' Scott Brooks said. 'He’s progressing well. We’ll see how he feels tomorrow and go from there.'

Brooks wouldn’t commit to Durant returning from a six-game absence on Wednesday against the Suns. But signs seem to indicate that will likely be the case.

'Yeah, on the White team he scored 13 of the 17 points in about five minutes of the scrimmage,' [Kendrick] Perkins said of KD. 'So, yeah, he looked real good.'

"

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Durant Misses Sixth Straight vs. Mavericks

Sunday, Dec. 28

Royce Young of ESPN confirmed that Kevin Durant is out for a sixth straight contest as the Oklahoma City Thunder take on the Dallas Mavericks.

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Durant Wearing 'Hybrid' Ankle Brace

Sunday, Dec. 28

Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman provided his observation following this morning's shootaround:

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Durant Speaks on Ankle Injury, Recovery

Thursday, Dec. 25

Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman interviewed Durant, who spoke on his status:

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I can't play basketball. I can't run. I can't cut. I can't jump. I'm not just sitting out just because. If I could play I would play. But I can't play.

I don't really know [how bad it is]. I just know that I can't really do what I want to do. I can't cut. I can't move. I can't run. So if I would just go out there and force it I would be terrible. I wouldn't be able to help my team out. It hurts...

... I don't want to throw anybody under the bus. But it's not worse than what's happened before. It's not like I might have surgery or my foot is messed up. It's just I have a bad ankle sprain and it's the same foot that I had surgery on so it's kind of lingering over the top of the foot a little bit. So it's hurt...

... It's day-by-day, man.

"

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Durant Injures Ankle vs. Warriors

Thursday, Dec. 18

ESPN's Royce Young reported Durant would not return:

Yahoo Sports' Marc J. Spears had more from head coach Scott Brooks after the game:

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:

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I just got to keep putting together good days and I'll keep getting back to where I want to be. To get back to midseason form like I want to be is going to take some time. No excuses for me. I'm out there, I got to play hard as I can no matter what and I got to go out there and be the best leader and player I can be.

"

If he misses another extended period of time, it could be right back to square one.

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.