Golden State forward Andre Iguodala is expected to play tomorrow, despite being hobbled at the end of Game 1 of the NBA Finals, but teammate Kevin Durant won’t.
Coach Steve Kerr updated the state of the Warriors’ health Friday, and he said Iguodala should be available for Game 2 while Durant could return for Game 3 on Wednesday when the series shifts to Oakland, Calif.
The Toronto Raptors won Game 1 on Thursday night, 118-109, taking a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Iguodala drove in for a score near the end of the game and was limping afterward. Kerr said Iguodala underwent an MRI exam Friday morning, and while he didn’t disclose the results, The Athletic reported it came back clean.
As for Durant, Kerr said he already has been ruled out for Game 2.
“Kevin’s not going to play Sunday,” Kerr told reporters.
Durant has been sidelined since injuring his right calf during the Western Conference semifinals against the Houston Rockets on May 8. The Warriors were 5-0 without Durant in these playoffs until the loss to the Raptors.
He has come up huge in the Finals for the past two seasons and is averaging 34.2 points per game this postseason. He was named Finals MVP each of the past two seasons, which ended with the Warriors hoisting the O’Brien Trophy.
The Warriors got a boost Thursday night from big man DeMarcus Cousins, who returned to action for the first time since he tore his left quadriceps on April 15 in the first round of the playoffs against the Los Angeles Clippers. Cousins played eight minutes and contributed three points, two assists and two steals.
Teammate Draymond Green commended the effort.
“First time essentially playing in, what, a month, month and a half, something like that,” Green said. “I don’t know how much you really can expect, especially that game was fast. I think some people may try to say, ‘Oh, DeMarcus struggled with the speed.’ Well, if DeMarcus struggled with the speed, so did I, so did Steph and every other one of us. I don’t think there was any difference in him than any of the rest of us. We struggled with our speed … and it’s something that we all have to be more aware of. But overall, I thought he gave us really good minutes.”
—Field Level Media
