Golden State Warriors star Kevin Durant suffered an Achilles injury in Game 5 against the Toronto Raptors, the club’s president of basketball operations, Bob Myers, announced Monday night.
Durant will have an MRI on Tuesday to determine the extent of the injury.
The forward went down early in the second quarter, pulling up after planting his right foot and appearing to be in immediate pain while clutching his lower right leg, leading many to assume he’d re-aggravated the calf injury that had kept him sidelined for nine straight games. He needed to be helped off the court and to the dressing room and the team announced shortly after that he would not return to the game. Durant was later seen exiting Scotiabank Arena using crutches and wearing a walking boot.
Myers was emotional when speaking with the media about Durant, calling him “one of the most misunderstood people.”
“He’s a good teammate, a good person. It’s not fair,” he said. “I’m lucky to know him.”
Monday’s must-win matchup was Durant’s first game back since suffering a strained right calf in Game 5 of Golden State’s second-round series against the Houston Rockets. In 12 minutes of playing time before the injury, Durant registered 11 points.
The Warriors rallied in Durant’s absence, ultimately holding off a late Raptors push to win 106-105 and force a Game 6 back in Golden State.
Kevin Durant speaks out via his IG Story. #NBAFinals
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In a post-game media availability, Warriors coach Steve Kerr called Monday “an incredible win and a horrible loss at the same time” when asked about his team’s ability to rally in the face of the loss.
Several players — both Warriors and Raptors — had emotional responses when asked about Durant’s dedication and the devastating nature of this latest injury.
Teammate Klay Thompson said Golden State will think of Durant every time they set foot on the court.
“In this league, we’re all brothers. At the end of the day, we’re all brothers,” Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry told reporters. “You never want to see a competitor like him go down.”
Golden State has struggled through several injuries all post-season, playing without Durant, Thompson, DeMarcus Cousins, and Kevon Looney at various points during the playoffs.
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