Is Kevin Durant playing tonight against Portland Trail Blazers? Latest on former NBA MVP's availability (Jan. 1)

Kevin Durant will not play on Monday night against the Portland Trail Blazers, which happens to be on the back end of back-to-back contests for the Phoenix Suns. Durant wasn't on the team's injury report for Sunday's clash against the Orlando Magic but is ruled out after hamstring issues.

KD has been relatively healthy this time compared to the last few seasons. The former NBA MVP has appeared in 28 outings, missing four games. Durant's been exceptional, averaging a team-high 29.9 points, to go with 6.3 rebounds and 6.0 assists on 52.5% shooting, including a league-high 47.7% clip from 3.

35-year-old Durant's health and conditioning have helped him stay dominant in year 16. The Suns' superstar will miss the game against the Trail Blazers, who handed the Suns a 109-104 loss on Dec. 19.

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What happened to Kevin Durant?

Durant's healthy now, but he was on the team's injury report because of an ankle sprain a couple of weeks ago. Durant injured himself during the Suns' 109-106 NBA In-Season Tournament quarterfinals loss to the LA Lakers on Dec. 6. He missed back-to-back games after that before returning.

However, Durant continued carrying the questionable tag until the last few games. He's been off the injury report for the last three outings. Durant is on the injury report again, but for hamstring issues.

Coach Frank Vogel said that the former MVP injured himself during the fourth quarter of Sunday's clash against the Magic. Durant will be day-to-day moving forward.

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Kevin Durant stats vs Portland Trail Blazers

Durant has played 48 games against the Trail Blazers. He holds a 28-19 record against them. Durant's averaged 28.1 ppg, 7.0 rpg and 3.8 apg against them, shooting on 51/38/87 splits. He's played them twice this year, averaging 35.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg and 7.0 apg on 59/60/91 splits.

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Suns big 3 come up big behind Bradley Beal's season best outing

The Phoenix Suns were firing on all cylinders in Sunday's game against the Orlando Magic. The Suns finally had the kind of game where their big three meshed well and played out of their skins against and a solid team. Bradley Beal, who has dealt with injuries all season long, recorded his best outing, tallying 25 points on just 13 shot attempts.

Meanwhile, Kevin Durant had 31 points, five rebounds and five assists on 12-of-21 shooting and Devin Booker finished with 21 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals. The Suns nearly blew their 13-point lead after the Magic tried staging a comeback attempt in the third quarter.

However, Beal hit some clutch shots as the Suns stormed to a 112-107 victory, extending their current winning streak to three games.