Kevin Durant could be on his way back to court earlier than the Warriors expected him to. Superstar forward suffered a hyperextended left knee on February 28th in a game against the Washington Wizards.
It was a Tuesday night game on the road for the Warriors and with only one and a half minute into the game, Durant collided with his teammate Zaza Pachulia and fell to the floor. He was helped of the court and later diagnosed with a grade 2 MCL (Medial Collateral Ligament) sprain and a tibial bone bruise. He was expected to miss indefinite time with reevaluation scheduled 4 weeks after the injury happened.
There was no timetable for his return and the Warriors were hoping to get him back before the playoffs start.
Golden State lost that game but the only thing on their mind was Durant's injury.
Curry leading the Warriors without Durant
Since they didn't know for how long Durant will be absent, the Warriors regrouped and played with the remaining firepower they had. Stephen Curry had to be the leader for this team once again, and so he did. The Warriors went on an impressive 11-game winning streak without Durant and Stephen Curry was one of the main reasons why. During this winning streak Curry averaged 27.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and eight assists. He scored 42 points in a Sunday night's win over the Wizards.
The Warriors played 17 games without Durant in the lineup and won 13 of them including 11 in a row.
They are looking like a cohesive group of players and playing with an edge that helped them reach the NBA finals for the last two years.
Durant possibly back on Saturday
Golden State will face the New Orleans Pelicans at home on Saturday night. They have reportedly targeted this game as the return date for Kevin Durant. According to ESPN, sources say that he has been progressing excellent and the Warriors expect him to play in his team's final three regular season games.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said that Durant will be in the starting lineup when he's ready to play. In 59 games played this season with Golden State Durant is averaging 25.3 points, 8.2 rebounds and 4.8 assists.
