The Golden State Warriors were able to take a 2-0 lead over the Portland Trail Blazers in a much closer game on Thursday night — and they did so once again without Kevin Durant or DeMarcus Cousins. And unfortunately for the Warriors, it could be a while before we see either player take the floor again.
On Thursday, both Durant and Cousins were evaluated, and their potential readiness to return to the court had varying results, according to the Warriors PR team.
Durant is showing good progress in his rehabilitation, but he still isn’t even ready to participate in on-court work. Cousins is a bit further in his progress, participating in on-court work, but isn’t ready for live-action contact yet.
Both Cousins and Durant are going to be re-evaluated next Thursday, meaning that they’re going to miss Games 3 and 4 of the series. Should the Western Conference Finals go to a Game 5, they’ll likely miss that game as well as it’s the Wednesday before the evaluation.
The Warriors are finding ways to win without Durant and Cousins, largely off the strength of Steph Curry’s scoring and the defense that Klay Thompson and Draymond Green have been playing.
Hopefully, for the team, both men are back and healthy by next Thursday, just in time for the NBA Finals.
