Kevin Durant 'Incredibly Unlikely' to Play Game 6 vs. Rockets with Calf Injury
The Golden State Warriors may be forced to play with only three All-Star-caliber players during Friday's Game 6 against the Houston Rockets.
According to Tim Kawakami of The Athletic, Golden State head coach Steve Kerr said it is "incredibly unlikely" Kevin Durant will suit up for the contest after suffering what the team announced as a right calf strain during Wednesday's 104-99 victory in Game 5.
Fortunately for the Warriors, they proved they can win without him by playing the entire fourth quarter after he exited. They are now up 3-2 in the second-round series and a single victory away from their fifth consecutive trip to the Western Conference Finals.
Klay Thompson (27 points, four rebounds and three steals), Stephen Curry (25 points, six rebounds and five assists) and Draymond Green (eight points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists) all came through in his absence, bringing back memories of the 2014-15 championship team and 2015-16 team that won a record 73 regular-season games before Durant signed in the Bay Area.
Green and Thompson drilled back-to-back threes in the closing stretch to push a two-point lead to eight, and Curry was far more effective after Durant exited:
Durant is still a monumental loss. After all, he is the reigning two-time NBA Finals MVP and averaged 36 points a night in the first four games against Houston. He is playing perhaps the best basketball of his illustrious career and gives the Warriors an embarrassment of riches as they chase a third straight title.
Still, this team is better equipped than any in the league to lose a player like No. 35.
It will be up to the trio of Curry, Thompson and Green to close out the series on the road; otherwise, the Rockets will get one more chance to stun the defending champs at Oracle Arena in Sunday's Game 7.
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