OAKLAND -- Kevin Durant missed his third consecutive NBA Finals game Wednesday night, but the superstar forward is progressing well enough from his right calf strain to take his workouts to the next level.
“He had a really good workout yesterday, ramped it up, and it went well,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said before tipoff of Game 3 at Oracle Arena. “He had another one today, it went well.
“So, we would like to increase it tomorrow, meaning get other people involved. He hasn't played any 3-on-3, 5-on-5.”
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Durant has been out since sustaining the injury May 8 during the third quarter of Game 5 of the Warriors' NBA playoff second-round series with the Houston Rockets. He missed Game 6 against the Rockets, and all four games of the Western Conference finals against the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Warriors are eager for Durant to return and, according to multiple team and league sources, KD might be even more anxious to get back on the court, particularly with the team dealing with injuries to Klay Thompson and Kevon Looney.
Durant’s return would be a massive boost for both morale and production.
“He’s got to continue to improve and not have any setbacks,” Kerr said. “That’s the main thing. So, we'll go from there.”
Golden State Warriors
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The Warriors are not scheduled to practice Thursday, according to Kerr, but Durant is scheduled for another workout -- this time with some of his teammates and coaches. If he passes that test, it’s entirely conceivable KD will be back on the court for Game 4 on Friday night.