Midway through the fourth quarter of Sunday night's game, the Warriors and their fans held their breath.
Kevin Durant posted up against a Phoenix Suns player and came down awkwardly on his right ankle. He stayed down, and the Warriors immediately fouled to stop play.
Durant managed to get up on his own power, but he walked straight to the Warriors' locker room at Oracle Arena with a slight limp.
After examination, the Warriors diagnosed Durant with a right ankle contusion and announced he would not return to the game, which Golden State lost 115-111.
Durant finished the night with 25 points, three assists, three steals and two rebounds.
"I think he's going to be all right," Warriors coach Steve Kerr told the media after the game. "I don't think it's bad. I talked to him briefly, and he didn't think it was too bad."
If Durant has to miss any period of time, it would be bad news for the Warriors, who have come to rely on their superstar forward. He's only missed one game all season, when he sat out the end of a back-to-back in Orlando two weeks ago for rest.
Sports
Here are the takeaways from their disappointing loss at Oracle Arena.
The Suns go on a run: Following Durant's absence, the Suns seized control of the game, outscoring the Warriors 20-16 over the last five minutes.
Devin Booker scored 37 points, including two free throws with 17.7 seconds left to ice the game.
Sunday's defeat marks the second loss in the last three games for the Warriors, and the first time Suns have beaten the Warriors since November 18, 2014.
Good start: For the second consecutive game, the Warriors had a strong start, jumping out to a 27-11 lead on Sunday night.
Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant combined for 20 of the Dubs' 29 first-quarter points. Aiding the offensive attack was the Warriors' defense, which forced the Suns into five first-quarter turnovers.
Such starts would be welcomed for the champs, who have struggled to stay engaged, except for...
A bad second quarter: Following a strong start, Golden State was outscored 40-28 in the second quarter, allowing the Suns to shoot 71.4%, as Phoenix erased a 16-point deficit.
Golden State's second quarter performance was a carbon copy of the performance in Friday's win over Denver, when the Warriors let a 19-point lead go to waste in the second period.
Sunday's performance proved the Warriors still have a long way to go to find the level of consistency they are searching for before the playoffs start.
