Is Kevin Durant playing tonight against the New York Knicks? Latest on 2x NBA champions' availability (Apr. 6)

With just five games left in the regular season, the Phoenix Suns have no more margin for error to make the playoffs. They currently sit at the No. 11 spot in the Western Conference, and they're two games behind the Sacramento Kings and three behind the Dallas Mavericks for one of the last two spots in the Play-In Tournament.

Notably, that's why Kevin Durant's latest injury couldn't have come at a worse possible time. Durant sustained a left ankle injury in the game vs. the Houston Rockets, and he's been forced to watch from the sidelines for the past couple of games, both losses.

ESPN's injury report states that Durant will continue to be on the shelf for Sunday's clash vs. the New York Knicks, as he was reportedly set to miss at least one week after sustaining the injury on March 30.

The Suns need to stop the bleeding and get back to their winning ways, as they've dropped five games in a row.

Bradley Beal says the Suns can still make a run

The Suns' playoff chances are slim at best right now. Nevertheless, Bradley Beal still believes they can make a run if they get hot at the right time because of how talented they are:

“We still can make a run,” Beal told Duane Rankin of AZCentral. “Obviously we’ve got to be healthy, get healthy, be available. The playoffs, anything can happen, man, but we’re a talented team and believe in what we can do. We’ve just got to give ourselves that opportunity. It’s tough. It’s tough, it’s frustrating, whatever word you want to put behind it, but all I can do is continue to move forward, and we can continue to make this push to try to make a run.”

The Suns have two of the best scorers in the game and a championship-winning coach, but it seems like their issues run deeper. They almost traded Kevin Durant midway through the season, so it's hard to believe he's going to stay there for much longer. As for Beal, his big contract and history of injuries might make him virtually untradeable.

All things considered, the Durant era in Phoenix will go down as a disappointment, as his tenure there was short-lived and the team never reached its true potential, even though he did his part and played very well more often than not.