Kevin Durant won't travel with Warriors, will be re-evaluated in one week

Share

The Warriors will be without superstar Kevin Durant not only for Thursday's Game 2, but also Games 3 and 4 in Portland. 

Warriors general manager Bob Myers told NBC Sports Bay Area's Greg Papa on "SNC: Warriors Playoff Central" that Durant will stay in Oakland and rehab with Warriors trainer Rick Celebrini while the rest of the team battles the Blazers at Moda Center on Saturday and Monday.

The Warriors issued a statement as Game 2 was getting underway, saying that Durant "has shown good progress" but "is not ready to advance to on-court work." Durant will be re-evaluated in one week. 

A league source told NBC Sports Bay Area's Monte Poole that Durant likely will miss the entirety of the Western Conference finals, and Warriors coach Steve Kerr told reporters after the game that KD's injury is "a little more serious than we thought at the very beginning."

Durant originally strained his right calf late in the third quarter of Game 5 against the Rockets in the second round of the NBA playoffs on May 8. Since then, the Warriors have not missed a beat. Golden State held on to defeat Houston in Game 5 without KD, before eliminating the Rockets in Game 6 and taking down the Blazers in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals.

[RELATED: Seth Curry explains why Warriors are harder to guard without KD]

In Durant's absence, Steph Curry has risen to the occasion, averaging 34.5 points in the two games without his fellow MVP teammate. The Warriors will continue to rely on Curry even more as they continue their march towards a third straight championship.

Contact Us