Kevin Durant will miss his second consecutive playoff game on Saturday night. Durant’s injured calf will keep him from playing in Game 3 of the team’s Western Conference Quarterfinal series against Portland. The news was originally reported by Chris Haynes and Marc Stein of ESPN.
A source tells ESPN it's highly doubtful Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant (calf) plays tonight against Trail Blazers.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) April 23, 2017
The Warriors have decided to hold Kevin Durant (calf) out of Game 3 in Portland, league sources say, so no Durant or Steve Kerr tonight.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) April 23, 2017
Golden State was already heading into this game without Steve Kerr, who has to sit out due to an illness.
Durant suffered the calf injury during the first game of the series. Kerr mentioned that he was unsure whether the injury happened during the game or if he just felt his calf act up after. Additionally, Kerr said that he expected that Durant would return at some point during this series.
Golden State has won both games in this series by fairly comfortable margins, but things could change now that things are moving to Portland. Additionally, the Blazers will get a shot in the arm in the form of Jusuf Nurkic, who will make his return after missing the final seven games of the regular season and the first two postseason contests with a fracture in his leg.
Sources: Portland center Jusuf Nurkic will play in Game 3 vs. Warriors tonight. His minutes will be limited.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 23, 2017
Even if Nurkic doesn’t play all that much, Golden State has a tall task ahead of it. Going into Portland and winning is tough, especially when you don’t have your head coach. The fact that Golden State will have to do this without Durant makes things even tougher.
