Suns cap four-game road trip vs T-Wolves, awaiting Kevin Durant’s return

On By Littum

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MINNEAPOLIS – The Phoenix Suns wrap up their four-game road trip Sunday against the team that abruptly ended their 2024 championship hopes.

The Minnesota Timberwolves swept the Suns in the first round, making Phoenix the first team eliminated from the playoffs.

This will be the teams’ first matchup since Game 4 in Phoenix, where Anthony Edwards threw down an emphatic dunk late in the fourth quarter to put the finishing touches on the sweep.

The Suns will be without Edwards’ all-time favorite player, Kevin Durant, who will miss his fifth straight game with a left calf strain. Durant will be re-evaluated on the weekend of the 23rd-24th. November based on the two-week timetable the Suns provided in their injury statement.

Phoenix takes on Orlando in the second of a back-to-back Monday at the Footprint Center. The Suns then face the New York Knicks on Wednesday at home to end a seven-game stretch in 11 days.

These will be Phoenix’s first games against the Magic and Knicks.

The Suns do not play again until Tuesday, Nov. 26 against the Lakers in an NBA Cup West Group B game scheduled for a national TNT broadcast. This will be the third matchup between the Suns and Lakers as they have split the first two meetings.

The Lakers handed Phoenix its first loss, 123-118, on Oct. 25 in Los Angeles, but the Suns won the rematch, 109-105, on Oct. 28 at home.

This would be Durant’s first game back from injury if he is able to go. He is averaging 27.1 points and 6.6 rebounds, shooting 55.3% from the field overall, 42.9% from 3.

TNT certainly hopes Durant is back for the matchup with LeBron James. Durant is 9-19 against James in the regular season, but 9-5 in the postseason.

Suns-Lakers is part of a six-game homestand for Phoenix. The Brooklyn Nets, Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs are the tail end of this stretch of home games for the Suns.

Durant played for the Nets and Warriors, winning back-to-back championships and Finals MVPs with Golden State.

Do you have opinions about the current state of the sun? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at [email protected] or contact him at 480-810-5518. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin.

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