The Golden State Warriors have announced that Kevin Durant suffered a sprained MCL in Tuesday night’s game against the Washington Wizards and will be out for at least a month.
The team did not rule out the possibility that Durant could return before the end of the regular season.
Injury Update: Kevin Durant suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain and a tibial bone bruise.
Full details below. pic.twitter.com/t3JkVnMmqa
— Warriors PR (@WarriorsPR) March 1, 2017
ESPN’s Jeff Goodman reports that the Warriors expect Durant to be back in time for the playoffs.
Kevin Durant expected back for the postseason, multiple sources told ESPN. “It’s not as bad as it looked,” one source said.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanESPN) March 1, 2017
Though losing Durant for an extended period of time is tough, the Warriors should be breathing a huge sigh of relief. They were the clear-cut favorites to win an NBA championship prior to the injury, but losing Durant for the year would have altered the entire landscape of the Western Conference.
Durant was injured in the first quarter of Tuesday’s game when teammate Zaza Pachulia was thrown backwards and went into his knee (video here). Durant left the game with what the team termed a hyperextended knee, and initial reports indicated he could miss several months.
For now, it sounds like the Warriors dodged a bullet.
