Kevin Durant Expected to Be a 'Full Go' For Game 5
By Liam McKeone
The Warriors find themselves in an unfamiliar position on Monday, facing elimination to the Toronto Raptors in Game 5 of the NBA Finals. The injury bug has hit Golden State hard at the worst time possible, but they may be getting one of their All-Stars back. Monte Poole of NBC Sports reports Kevin Durant is expected to be a “full go” for Monday’s matchup.
Though the Warriors are saying Kevin Durant (calf) is ‘a game-time decision’ for Game 5 Monday night, he’s expected to be a full go, according to multiple league sources.
— Monte Poole (@MontePooleNBCS) June 10, 2019
Steve Kerr told reporters earlier in the day Durant had gone through a full shootaround and would be a game-time decision. Anything at this point is considered an improvement, as Durant has been completely out of commission after the team said he strained his right calf during the Western Conference Semifinals against the Rockets.
Durant’s return would obviously be huge for the Warriors, who have struggled to overcome the suffocating Toronto defense without a shooting threat not named Klay Thompson or Steph Curry. The legendary shooting prowess of the Splash Brothers can only mean so much when the attention of an entire defense is on them, and there’s little reliable shooting around them. Durant should provide that at the very least, even if he’s rusty after missing a month of basketball.