There is great concern that DeMarcus Cousins may have suffered a torn quad during Game 2 of the LA Clippers-Golden State Warriors first round playoff series on Monday night.
Cousins went down with a non-contact injury early in the first quarter while chasing a loose ball. He limped off the court and into the locker room and did not return to the game.
Cousins will undergo an MRI on his quad, but for now, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski says there is fear Cousins tore his quad.
There's significant concern that DeMarcus Cousins has suffered a torn left quad, but there won't be complete certainty until his MRI on Tuesday, league sources tell ESPN. The hope is that it's just a strain.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 16, 2019
David J. Chao, a sports medical analyst and former Chargers team doctor, delineated the different kinds of tears and the impact they could have. He says a torn quad muscle would be a short-term injury, while a torn quad tendon could require surgery.
By video, appears to be a quad injury.
If quad muscle tear, tough but not imposible to return late playoffs.
If quad tendon tear (central slip), could be in line for surgery. https://t.co/C8Jm3DAIC9— David J. Chao, MD (@ProFootballDoc) April 16, 2019
Video of Cousins walking into the locker room showed his left quad visibly bunched up as he walked.
DeMarcus Cousins on the way back to the room pic.twitter.com/lIulOORoJs
— CJ Fogler (@cjzer0) April 16, 2019
Cousins is only in his third month back in action for the Warriors after returning from his torn Achilles’ tendon. He is averaging 16.3 points and 8.2 rebounds per game this season.
