After Kevin Durant sat out Wednesday’s game in Houston because of a sprained ankle, Warriors coach Steve Kerr said he hoped to have KD back against the Warriors for another nationally televised game against a top Western Conference team Saturday in Oklahoma City.
Nope. Durant is out again, Kerr made the announcement at shootaround.
Kevin Durant (ankle) is out tonight vs. OKC.
— Connor Letourneau (@Con_Chron) March 16, 2019
This is not a huge shock. Kerr suggested Durant would sit out yesterday in an interview with Damon Bruce on 95.7 The Game. “If this were a playoff game, for sure he would be playing. But we want to be extra cautious. So I’m guessing San Antonio will be his first game back.”
The Warriors have been coasting into the season’s finish line, having gone 3-4 in their last seven, which has kept the door open for Denver to snag the top seed away from them (the Nuggets are one game back).
Durant merits bottom of the ballot MVP consideration this season with his strong play, averaging 27.4 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game. The Warriors are a ridiculous 15.8 points per 100 possessions better when Durant is on the court this season (that is with garbage time taken out, via Cleaning the Glass; put garbage time in and it’s +17.6 per 100).