The Warriors will be without Kevin Durant Wednesday night as the team hosts the Minnesota Timberwolves. The team announced Wednesday morning their MVP will sit with a left thigh contusion.
Durant suffered the injury when the Warriors beat the Miami Heat 97-80. Durant played well despite the injury, tallying 21 points on the night. Most of those came from the charity stripe, where Durant was a perfect 10-10.
Durant did play a healthy 33 minutes against the Heat, but it was the second-lowest total of the year for KD (who played 29 in Denver last Friday).
Kevin Durant has a thigh contusion and some general soreness after gm vs #Heat. He landed on the floor, several times hard, no fewer than five times during that game. He won't be with #Warriors tonight vs Timberwolves.
— Monte Poole (@MontePooleNBCS) November 8, 2017
We’re guessing this is just a precautionary measure for Durant and the Warriors. If Kerr and company have half the season they expect to have the team has some room to drop a game or two early in the season, especially with how the team has rounded into form of late.
After knocking off some early-season rust that brought them a 3-4 record through the team’s first seven games. Since then, Golden State has rattled off four straight wins against playoff-hopeful teams.
Kerr has already shown his willingness to keep veterans out of early-season games for minor injuries. Rest easy Warriors fans, and expect to see Durant back on the court sooner than later.