Warriors Injury News: Kevin Durant, DeMarcus Cousins Both Hopeful for NBA Finals

Kevin Durant and DeMarcus Cousins underwent evaluations Thursday, the Golden State Warriors announced.

Neither Durant (strained right calf) nor Cousins (torn left quad) has received the green light to return to the court. The team is "hopeful that [Durant] could return" during the NBA Finals, while "it's anticipated that [Cousins] will play at some point" in the series.

Durant has missed Golden State's last five contests after he exited the team's Game 5 victory over the Houston Rockets in the second round.

Kevin Durant Goes to the Locker Room After Suffering an Apparent Non-contact Injury on Lower Leg

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Some initially thought the 10-time All-Star might make a quick return, and Warriors fans breathed a sigh of relief that he avoided a more serious Achilles injury. But Steve Kerr acknowledged midway through the Western Conference Finals it was unclear when Durant would be healthy enough to return.

Cousins, meanwhile, was injured in the second game of Golden State's first-round series with the Los Angeles Clippers. Although the Warriors left open the possibility of his return, it was clear he'd miss at least a large chunk of their postseason run.

The Warriors are clearly better with Durant, one of the greatest scorers of his generation, and Cousins provides much-needed frontcourt depth. Having to play 34-year-old Andrew Bogut—even in limited minutes—isn't ideal.

The conference finals showed Golden State can manage without the two stars, though. Every time the defending champions appeared to be in trouble against the Portland Trail Blazers, they displayed the kind of dominant two-way play that made them the NBA's best team before Durant arrived.

An NBA Finals matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks or Toronto Raptors will present a tougher test than the Blazers provided. Still, even assuming Durant and Cousins are absent for most of that series, the Warriors remain the clear title favorites.