When Kevin Durant grabbed the back of his right leg in the third quarter of the Golden State Warriors eventual Game 5 win over the Houston Rockets, much of Oracle Arena feared the worst. As Durant limped off the court and directly into the locker room, TNT’s Reggie Miller suggested that perhaps Durant tore his Achilles. Relief flowed through the building when the team said Durant had suffered a calf strain, and though he wouldn’t return to the game, avoiding losing Durant for the remainder of the playoffs was a win in itself.
Still, the Warriors remain in a dogfight against the Rockets despite the Game 5 victory. They head back to Houston up 3-2 and are looking to return to the Western Conference Finals for the fifth straight season, but will have to do so without Durant for at least Game 6 and maybe beyond.
What Steve Kerr told me late tonight about Durant: "He’s not going to play Game 6. We can all pretend and just say he’s doubtful. But he’s not playing Game 6.” https://t.co/85YXvh20WN
— Tim Kawakami (@timkawakami) May 9, 2019
Steve Kerr told The Athletic’s Tim Kawakami late Wednesday night that Durant had already been ruled out for Game 6.
“We can all pretend and just say he’s doubtful,” Kerr said. “But he’s not playing Game 6.”
Just how long Durant will be out remains to be seen. If the Rockets are able to force a Game 7, the odds become significantly more even without Durant, even with the game being played back in Oakland. Houston missed their chance to topple the Warriors last season. Winning two straight is a tall task, but doing so against a Durant-less Warriors team at least makes it possible.
