Kevin Durant is unlikely to travel to Houston for Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals, according to CBS Sports.
Without Durant, the Warriors rallied to win Game 5 in Oakland on Wednesday night. But the All-Star forward could be done for the series, and his status for the remainder of the postseason — if Golden State closes of the Rockets and advances to the Western Conference finals — is up in the air.
“Excited for the win but concerned for Kevin,” coach Steve Kerr said Wednesday after watching a replay of the injury.
Durant sank a fadeaway jumper with 2:05 left in the third to give the Warriors a 68-65 lead, then began hobbling as he turned to head up the court.
He immediately was replaced on the floor by Andre Iguodala. Less than a minute later, the Rockets took their first lead since 14-12 in the first quarter, but the Warriors rallied to win 104-99 and take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series.
An MRI is scheduled for Thursday, which is also the team’s travel day to Houston.
Because of the way Durant reacted, social media erupted with opinions — some educated — that Durant had torn his Achilles tendon.
“It’s not the Achilles,” Kerr said. “When I walked into the coaches’ office after the game, the replay of the play was going on, and I thought the same thing because he kind of looked back like he had been kicked or something. I (thought), ‘I’ve seen that before with guys who have hurt their Achilles.’ So that was my first question, and I was assured that it’s a calf strain and not the Achilles.”
Already thinned by injuries, the Warriors could be playing with an extremely short bench in Game 6.
Iguodala was questionable entering Wednesday’s game and the Warriors are still without DeMarcus Cousins (thigh).
“Honestly, it was a little deflating for a second,” guard Stephen Curry said of losing Durant, who was averaging 35.4 points per game in the playoffs entering Wednesday’s game. “Then we rallied. So all the different rollercoaster of emotions tonight. At the end of day it’s about winning or losing, trying to endure to the finish line.
.”.. We’ll see what happens the next 24, 48 hours on the injury front. But we’ve had the next-man-up mentality for a long time now. Hopefully the situation will be no different. It will be challenging. It’s tough to replace the output that KD has been doing this whole entire playoff run.”
–Field Level Media
