Report: Durant (calf) out for Game 1 vs. Blazers

13th May 2019

By NBA

The Golden State Warriors advanced to the Western Conference finals without Kevin Durant, and will have to face Game 1 of that series without him, too.

Per ESPN's Ramona Shelburne, Durant will not play Tuesday night in Game 1 of the West finals against the Portland Trail Blazers (9 ET, ESPN). It seems unlikely that Durant will suit up for Game 2 because he will not have his calf injury re-evaluated until Thursday, Shelburne reports.

An MRI exam last Thursday confirmed the Warriors’ initial diagnosis of a strained right calf announced during last Wednesday’s 104-99 win against the Houston Rockets at Oracle Arena. The Warriors closed out the series on Friday night, defeating the Rockets 118-113 in Game 6 behind a 33-point night from star guard Stephen Curry. Durant did not travel with the team for that game, remaining in the Bay Area to get treatment for his injury.

Golden State initially feared the two-time reigning NBA Finals MVP might have injured his Achilles, a far more serious issue. Durant leads all postseason scorers at 34.2 points per game and finished with 22 points, five rebounds and four assists in 32 minutes of Game 5 vs. Houston, his last game to date in the 2019 playoffs.

Golden State did get some good news on the injury front over the weekend, though. DeMarcus Cousins, who has been sidelined since April 15 with a torn quariceps muscle, is on course to return to the Warriors during the Western Conference finals, according to Marc Stein of The New York Times.

Cousins has been out since Game 2 of Golden State's first-round series with the Clippers. In 30 games this season, Cousins averaged 16.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.5 blocks in 25.7 minutes.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.