{"id":4838,"date":"2017-03-01T13:27:17","date_gmt":"2017-03-01T18:27:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonprobasketball.com\/?p=4838"},"modified":"2017-03-01T13:27:17","modified_gmt":"2017-03-01T18:27:17","slug":"warriors-kevin-durant-injures-knee-mri","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2017\/03\/01\/warriors-kevin-durant-injures-knee-mri\/","title":{"rendered":"Warriors&#8217; Kevin Durant Sprains MCL &#8211; Out Indefinitely"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Kevin Durant\u00a0suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain and tibial bone bruise\u00a0Tuesday night during an away game\u00a0against the Washington Wizards.\u00a0He is reported to be out indefinitely and will be reevaluated in four weeks. Although a\u00a0return\u00a0by postseason\u00a0is possible,\u00a0Durant&#8217;s injury\u00a0is not good news for the Golden State Warriors.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Warriors&#8217; Kevin Durant Sprains MCL &#8211; Out Indefinitely<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The road to the Western Conference Finals just got a whole lot more interesting.<\/p>\n<p>Golden State Warriors superstar <a href=\"http:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/d\/duranke01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Kevin Durant<\/strong>\u00a0<\/a>left Tuesday\u2019s game against the Washington Wizards in the first quarter after suffering an injury <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WarriorsPR\/status\/836737762216787972\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">originally\u00a0described as a &#8220;hyperextended left knee.&#8221;<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Durant underwent an MRI\u00a0to confirm the extent of his injury Tuesday night, and the news could be better.\u00a0 The Warriors issued an update Wednesday morning confirming that Durant suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain and tibial bone bruise.\u00a0Durant is listed as out indefinitely, but will be reevaluated in a month.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Injury Update: Kevin Durant suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain and a tibial bone bruise. <\/p>\n<p>Full details below. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/t3JkVnMmqa\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/t3JkVnMmqa<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Warriors PR (@WarriorsPR) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WarriorsPR\/status\/836954069839282179?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">March 1, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Durant was injured less than a minute into Tuesday&#8217;s contest, after Wizards Center\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/g\/gortama01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Marcin Gortat<\/strong><\/a> threw Warriors center <a href=\"http:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/p\/pachuza01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Zaza Pachulia<\/strong> <\/a>to the ground, causing Pachulia to roll into Durant\u2019s leg. Gortat was called for an offensive foul on the play.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Here&#39;s the play that sent Kevin Durant limping to the locker room. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/2YKVh1KLPu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/2YKVh1KLPu<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; NBA.com (@NBAcom) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NBAcom\/status\/836735411418501121?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">March 1, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The Warriors went on to lose to the Wizards 108-112.<\/p>\n<p>Reporter David Aldridge <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/daldridgetnt\/status\/836772802300633088\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">described the Warriors locker room as \u201csomber\u201d<\/a> after the loss, while Warriors head coach Steve Kerr expressed equal parts optimism and concern about the incident.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">&quot;We&#39;ll just wait and see and keep our fingers crossed.&quot; -Steve Kerr on Kevin Durant&#39;s injury&#8230; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/phpItGUtYp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/phpItGUtYp<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; NBA TV (@NBATV) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NBATV\/status\/836773371140460544?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">March 1, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Unexpected Ending to an Anticipated Contest<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The Warriors-Wizards match up had been highly anticipated, as it marked the first time Durant was slated to face his former coach, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/coaches\/brooksc01c.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Scott Brooks<\/strong><\/a>. Brooks worked with Durant as an assistant coach with the Seattle Sonics under <a href=\"http:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/coaches\/carlepj99c.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>P.J. Carlesimo<\/strong> <\/a>and as a head coach after the Sonics moved to Oklahoma City and Carlesimo was fired. Brooks himself would be <a href=\"http:\/\/bleacherreport.com\/articles\/2433371-scott-brooks-fired-by-thunder-latest-details-comments-and-reaction\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">fired<\/a> by Oklahoma City in April 2015 after seven seasons with the franchise. Durant publically supported the firing, but described it as \u201ctough\u201d for him.<\/p>\n<p>Durant maintained a positive relationship with Brooks after he was fired by the Thunder, which led some to speculate that\u00a0Durant might return to his hometown of Washington to join Brooks and the Wizards when considering deals as a free agent last year. Durant did not even meet with the Wizards to discuss such prospects, however, opting to join the red-hot Warriors and maximize his chances of a championship ring instead.<\/p>\n<p>Earlier in the week Durant <a href=\"http:\/\/www.foxsports.com\/nba\/story\/kevin-durant-opens-up-on-why-he-didnt-sign-with-his-hometown-wizards-022717\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">opened up to media outlets <\/a>to explain why he did not seriously consider a return to Washington, saying simply that playing at home was a part of his life that had \u201ccome and gone\u201d and something he had \u201cconquered already.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Warriors to Sign\u00a0Matt Barnes<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>With Durant&#8217;s status for the remainder of the season and postseason questionable, the Warriors were quick to reach out\u00a0and sign\u00a0veteran forward\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/barnema02.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Matt\u00a0Barnes<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0Barnes played with the Warriors previously,\u00a0from 2006-2008.\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/nba\/story\/_\/id\/18794211\/matt-barnes-agrees-sign-golden-state-warriors-wake-kevin-durant-injury\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">ESPN reports <\/a>that Barnes has agreed to an immediate contract with the Warriors.\u00a0 Barnes also confirmed the news via his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/BRFemBpgZv3\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Instagram<\/a> page.\u00a0ESPN also reports that\u00a0in order to make roster room for Barnes, the Warriors will be forced to abandon\u00a0their\u00a0plans to sign Los Angeles Lakers guard\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/c\/caldejo01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Jose Calderon<\/strong> <\/a>after Calderon clears waivers. Calderon would have added needed depth to the Warriors bench come playoffs.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Impact of Durant\u2019s Loss on the Western Conference Race<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The Warriors have already clinched their playoff berth,\u00a0so Durant&#8217;s absence for the remainder of the regular season may not have much impact. However, if out for the postseason, Durant&#8217;s loss will undoubtedly be felt by the Warriors. Durant has been playing at an\u00a0MVP level, averaging 25.8 points, 4.9 assists and 8.4 rebounds per game. He is a consistent offensive threat, and his ability to use his long limbs on defense to disrupt opponents is a highly valued asset.\u00a0 Although the Warriors certainly don\u2019t lack talent, and are capable of winning the Western Conference without Durant, it is a notably tougher road without him. Teams like the Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Clippers are playing high-level basketball as they head down the stretch, and are relatively healthy squads with stronger benches than the Warriors.<\/p>\n<p>Main Photo<\/p>\n<div class=\"getty embed image\" style=\"background-color: #fff; display: inline-block; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; color: #a7a7a7; font-size: 11px; width: 100%; max-width: 438px;\">\n<div style=\"padding: 0; margin: 0; text-align: left;\"><a style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/630451484\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"overflow: hidden; position: relative; height: 0; padding: 135.616438% 0 0 0; width: 100%;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"display: inline-block; position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; margin: 0;\" src=\"\/\/embed.gettyimages.com\/embed\/630451484?et=MubtJm0KRxFPZKyNsvQW2Q&amp;viewMoreLink=on&amp;sig=lH_SqqhyrxKFDlFh6GatHwL_MpMGO5eUGKdnEn2a2nI=&amp;caption=true\" width=\"438\" height=\"594\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p style=\"margin: 0;\">\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Kevin Durant suffered an MCL sprain Tuesday night and is listed as out indefinitely. He will be reevaluated in four weeks and may return by the postseason.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1670,"featured_media":4865,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[25,2,62,3],"tags":[65,223,182,69,96,202],"class_list":["post-4838","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-warriors","category-featured","category-nba","category-news","tag-basketball","tag-featured","tag-golden-state-warriors","tag-kevin-durant","tag-nba","tag-nba-news"],"modified_by":"Harrison Marcus","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4838","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1670"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4838"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4838\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4865"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4838"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4838"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4838"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}