The Houston Rockets have two highly anticipated games on the schedule coming up, but Kevin Durant will not be playing against two of his former teams.
Durant will miss Monday's game against the Phoenix Suns and Wednesday's NBA Cup game against the Golden State Warriors as he attends to a family matter, according to ESPN's Shams Charania. These will be Durant's first missed games of the season.
The Rockets are out to a 10-4 start after acquiring Durant from the Suns in the offseason. Houston has taken Fred VanVleet's ACL injury in stride, boasting the NBA's top-ranked offense.
As expected, Durant has played a major role in the Rockets' explosive offensive attack. He's averaging 24.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists while shooting 48.5% from the field and 36.4% from 3-point range in 36.1 minutes per game.
Suns, Warriors matchups
The Suns have been one of the NBA's most pleasant surprises to start this season after revamping their roster around Devin Booker, with the blockbuster Durant trade at the center of it all. Phoenix is 10-6 so far to sit just one game behind Houston in the Western Conference.
Durant spent two-plus seasons in the desert after a trade from the Brooklyn Nets. KD's Suns tenure was a disappointment with just one playoff series win.
Of course, Durant's Warriors stint was much more successful, with two NBA championships and Finals MVPs to his name. Golden State is scuffling along this season at just 9-9 after a hot start. Injuries have played a role in the Warriors' mediocre start, but they'll surely be motivated for this Rockets matchup even without Durant after the two teams played a hotly contested first-round matchup last season.
Houston's next game after the Golden State showdown is next Sunday against the Utah Jazz. The hope is Durant will be back for that game.
