Kevin Durant looked great in his first playoff game as a Warrior. He finished the game by leading the Warriors in scoring with 32 points and also grabbed 11 boards. Quite the debut for a player who had missed several weeks with a knee injury prior to the start of the postseason.
Unfortunately, Durant strained his left calf in Game 1 and was forced to miss Game 2, but the Warriors didn’t need him. Steph Curry and company easily disposed of the Portland Trail Blazers 110-81, giving the Warriors a 2-0 series advantage.
The scene will shift for Game 3 as the Warriors head north to play the Blazers on Saturday night. A win for the Warriors would almost guarantee they will win the series, but they might be missing some important figures as they prepare for Portland’s best shot.
The Warriors PR official twitter handle announced that Durant has been labeled as questionable for Game 3:
Game 3 update: Barnes (R ankle/foot sprain), Durant (L calf strain)
& Livingston (R index finger sprain & hand contusion) are questionable.— Warriors PR (@WarriorsPR) April 21, 2017
Along with Durant, Matt Barnes and Shaun Livingston are also questionable for tonight’s game. Barnes has been out since the regular season and Livingston didn’t play in Game 2 after injuring his finger in Game 1.
No offense to the Blazers, but the Warriors are still the better team even with these three players on the sideline. If there is one game the Blazers can win, it’s this one. Portland has a loud and rabid fan base and the Blazers will have the crowd behind them all night long, so the Warriors better be expecting a battle.
At this point, it’s smarter for the Warriors to be cautious and let Durant rest his injured calf. The Warriors shouldn’t be looking past the Blazers, but the Western Conference Semi-Finals will be tougher and they need their key players to be as close to 100 percent health
Game 4 seems like more of a realistic possibility for Durant, which could be the final game against the Blazers.