Golden State Warriors star Kevin Durant left Monday’s Game 5 of the NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors after suffering an injury.
Durant hurt his correct lower leg and didn’t come back to the elimination game.
The Warriors staved off elimination Monday in the most dramatic way, beating the Toronto Raptors 106-105 in Game 5 despite of playing the last three quarters without Kevin Durant.
“We did it for Kevin,” said Klay Thompson, who played 42 minutes and scored 26 points. “We’re going to try to win the next two for him.”
The following one, Game 6, is Thursday night at Oracle Arena. Game 7 would be Sunday in Toronto.
Durant, playing for the first time since correct calf injury sidelined him May 8, endured Achilles injury with 9:49 left in the second quarter.
Warriors GM Bob Myers, ashen-faced and teary eyed, made the announcement after the game. He said Durant would have an MRI on Tuesday.
“He went through four weeks with our medical team,” Myers said, fighting back his emotions. “We felt good. He was cleared to play.
“I don’t believe there’s anybody to blame, but I know how the world is. If you have to blame someone, blame me. I’m the president of basketball operations.”
Durtant folded to the floor two minutes into the second quarter after to endeavoring a spill proceed onward the edge. He sat unmoving on the floor, holding his lower right leg, close to the lower leg. Steph Curry, Andre Iguodala and Warriors medical director Dr. Rick Celebrini helped Durant off the court and up the tunnel to the locker room.
In the third quarter, Durant left the arena on crutches and wearing a walking boot.
“I just told the team that I didn’t know what to say,” coach Steve Kerr said. “On the one hand, I’m so proud of the grit and heart that they showed. On the other hand, I’m just devastated for Kevin. It was an incredible win and a horrible loss at the same time.”
“Prayers to KD,” said Steph Curry, who played 41 minutes and scored 31 points, giving the Splash Brothers 57 points, more than half the team’s total.
“He gave us what he could. He sacrificed his body for us. I’ve got a lot of emotions right now.”
In a response that was totally out of Canadian character, the Toronto group cheered Durant’s injury, blinded by its yearn for the city’s first real title since the Blue Jays won the World Series in 1993. Warriors players, Thompson and Quinn Cook among them, signaled furiously at the group. The Toronto players immediately followed, taking the crowd back to its faculties as they moved toward Durant to reassure him.
The effect of Durant’s hotly anticipated return had been practically quick. He depleted a couple of 3-pointers in the principal 2:23, as though he’d never been gone, let alone for 32 days. Be that as it may, Durant’s effect wasn’t constrained to the self-evident. The floor was more open than it had been all arrangement, and everyone benefitted.
The Warriors hit seven 3-pointers in the quarter. Durant had three, Thompson two, Draymond Green and Curry one each. It was Durant’s third three that put the Warriors ahead 32-26, an edge they took into the second quarter in the wake of exchanging crates with the Raptors to end the first.
The Warriors expanded their lead after Durant went down — assembled it to 11 on a Cousins three, to 12 on a Curry three, to 13 at 52-39.
The lead had softened to 57-56 when Curry hit a three and Kevon Looney, playing chivalrously through torment, tipped in a shot to make it 62-56 at the half.
The Warriors went to the locker room, and that’s is the place they saw Durant and has their most noticeably awful feelings of dread affirmed. Apparently, it was a bleak and calm scene.
Flattened however they were, the Warriors remade their lead. They were up 77-63 — their greatest lead of the night — with 5:46 left in the second from last quarter.
The Raptors battled back and, for the third time, a quarter finished with a 6-point Warriors lead, this time 84-78.
With the home group thundering them on, and with the Warriors wearying, the Raptors at last survived. They had trailed for everything except 53 seconds of the game when Kawhi Leonard hit a three to put Toronto ahead 96-95.
It was the beginning of a 10-point visit de power by Leonard that put the Raptors ahead 103-97.
It was over — the game, the series, the dynasty.
In any case, pause. Thompson hit a three. At that point Curry hit a three. At that point Thompson hit another three. The Warriors were back ahead of the pack 106-103 with 56.5 seconds left.
The Raptors scored to make it 106-105 and made history the ball back when DeMarcus Cousins was required a moving screen with 15.7 seconds left. Here came the Raptors once last time, here came Leonard, their star and saint. The Warriors multiplied him at the highest point of the key, driving him to go into the corner where Kyle Lowry’s shot at the ringer fizzled.
“Game 6is going to be fun,” Curry said. “It’s going to be a dogfight for 48 minutes. But we’re going to be ready.”
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