OAKLAND, CA – MAY 8: Kevin Durant #35 of the Golden State Warriors looks on against the Houston Rockets during Game Five of the Western Conference Semifinals of the 2019 NBA Playoffs on May 8, 2019 at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)
Star forward may not travel to Toronto at all as Warriors try to defend their NBA Championship.
Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr said forward Kevin Durant will miss at least his six straight game with a strained calf after being ruled out for Game 1 of the NBA Finals at Toronto.
Kerr made the announcement at practice and said the team is undecided about whether Durant will travel at all with the team, which is in it’s fifth consecutive finals appearance. The Warriors have won three of four appearances and Durant has been a critical part of the past two championships.
However, Kerr didn’t know when Durant might be ready. However, he said forward DeMarcus Cousins may be available.
“We’ll see where it goes from here,” Kerr said after being asked about Durant’s availability. “This is where the fact that there’s a lot of days in between games during the Finals helps us, so — we’ll see.”
The Warriors have won five consecutive games without Durant, including a sweep of Portland in the Western Conference Finals. Durant was injured in Game 5 of the second round of the playoffs against Houston and has yet to be cleared for any on-court training. The strained calf was initially termed a Grade 1 injury.
However, ESPN has since reported the injury was more significant and Durant might not return at all this season.
As for Cousins, he has been dealing with a strained quad since Game 2 of the first-round series against the LA Clippers in April.