The Warriors will be without superstar Kevin Durant for at least Game 2 on Thursday night, and probably longer.
As Golden State prepared for Game 2 of its Western Conference finals matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers, Steve Kerr announced that Kevin Durant will get re-evaluated by the team doctors before tip-off, and the team will release a statement at that point.
Kevin Durant will be re-evaluated by the Warriors training staff later this evening, per Warriors coach Steve Kerr. He obviously won't play in Game 2.— Logan Murdock (@loganmmurdock) May 16, 2019
ESPN's Ramona Shelburne reported earlier Thursday that Durant is "not close" to returning to the court.
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.
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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.
