The Golden State Warriors claimed a crucial 106-105 victory over the Toronto Raptors in a do-or-die Game 5. But that doesn’t mean that all news was good news for Steve Kerr and the two-time champions.
Kevin Durant, who had been out since the Warriors’ Western Conference semi-final series against the Houston Rockets in early May, collapsed in the second quarter, clutching the same right Achilles that he had injured last month.
While no official word has been given about the exact diagnosis of his injury, sources have suggested that Golden State fears that Durant has ruptured the tendon.
Durant went down with 9:46 to go in the second quarter after having looked sharp. He had already scored 11 points on 3-5 shooting when he suffered the injury.
Durant left the arena with crutches and a walking boot on the injured leg. While his team will travel home to Oakland for Thursday night’s Game 6, Durant will head to New York for further testing and evaluation of his injury.
It remains to be seen how Durant’s injury will affect his upcoming free agency or if the Warriors rushed the forward back too soon.
In any case, despite keeping their NBA title hopes alive, it was hard for the Warriors to celebrate after Monday night’s bad news.
