Kevin Durant‘s right calf strain is “a little more serious than we thought at the very beginning,” according to Warriors head coach Steve Kerr.
The team says KD “has shown good progress” during rehab, but remains out for at least Game 3 and 4 of the Western Conference Finals.
Kerr, speaking Thursday night after Golden State took a 2-0 lead over the Portland Trail Blazers, told reporters he hopes the two-time NBA Finals MVP returns “at some point.”
Per The AP:
“There’s no mental adjustment, you just play. You go out there with what you have,” coach Steve Kerr said. “This is our third game, 3 ½ games really, without him. We’re just trying to hold down the fort. Hopefully he continues to progress. And he has made progress but it’s a little more serious than we thought at the very beginning, so we’ll see how it all goes. He’s in there all day long getting treatment. Hopefully he’ll be back at some point.”
Durant’s 34.2 points per game lead all postseason scorers. He strained his right calf during the third quarter of Game 5 of the conference semifinals against the Rockets last Wednesday and didn’t travel to Houston for the Warriors’ Game 6 clincher. He then sat out Game 1 against Portland on Tuesday and again Thursday as Stephen Curry took on a greater scoring load.
“He’s handled it great. He’s vocal. Still being a leader. Staying in all of our ears. Vocal during film,” said Quinn Cook, a reserve Warriors guard and close friend of Durant. “I know he’s been putting in extra work. I know he’s excited to get back. We can’t wait to have him back.”
Andrew Bogut has started in Durant’s place the past three games.
“With him on the court, there’s just another great offensive player, and so when you put him out there with Steph and Klay (Thompson), it’s really challenging from a defensive standpoint. And his versatility in his offense,” Blazers coach Terry Stotts said. “When you take him out of it, I think they do play a different style. Certainly Curry gets more involved, I think Klay gets more involved, because they need to. And so the focus or emphasis on those two guys probably becomes a little bit more.”
