Golden State will not have Kevin Durant in the lineup Friday night for Game 6 in Houston, according to head coach Steve Kerr.
Durant suffered a right calf strain Wednesday night in the Warriors’ 104-99 Game 5 win, which gave the two-time defending NBA champs a 3-2 series lead over the Rockets.
“We can all pretend and just say he’s doubtful,” Kerr said.
Per The Athletic:
“He’s not going to play Game 6,” Kerr told me late Wednesday. “We can all pretend and just say he’s doubtful. But he’s not playing Game 6.”
It’s likely that Durant won’t be on Thursday’s plane ride — why risk him aggravating the injury on a long flight if he’s not going to play? — and will get treatment in the Bay Area with an outside hope that he would be available in a potential Game 7 if the Warriors lose on Friday or Game 1 if they beat Houston and start up the Western Conference finals.
“Hopefully,” Kerr said, “we get Kevin back at some point.”
After they had won, celebrated a little and then wearily walked back into the locker room, the Warriors saw Durant and heard the relatively good news — it wasn’t an Achilles tear, but he was out indefinitely and almost certainly out for the next few games.
“He’s disappointed,” Kerr said at his press conference of Durant. “But he’s excited for our guys and for our victory.”
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