Durant sprains ankle in preseason game

Kevin Durant, the second overall choice in the NBA draft, left the arena using crutches and was wearing a soft boot after spraining his left ankle late in the SuperSonics' exhibition game loss to Golden State on Tuesday night.

A Sonics spokesman said in an e-mail late Tuesday that Durant will not travel to Portland for Wednesday night's game or to the team's preseason finale against Phoenix in Vancouver, British Columbia on Friday. That leaves his status in doubt for Seattle's season opener Oct. 31 at Denver.

Durant, expected to begin the season as the Sonics' starting shooting guard, appeared to injure the ankle while stealing a pass late in regulation of a game that eventually went to overtime. The 19-year-old, who was the national player of the year last season in his only season at the University of Texas, left the court with 2:10 remaining in the fourth quarter and then walked with a trainer at his side into a tunnel leading to the locker room.

He scored 21 points, above his team-leading average of 18.4 points through the first five preseason games.