The Warriors announced Wednesday that Kevin Durant will miss at least four weeks with a sprained medial collateral ligament and a bone bruise on his left knee, but their All-Star forward could return before the playoffs.
Durant's MRI results showed he suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain and a tibial bone bruise.
"He will be out of action indefinitely and will be re-evaluated in four weeks," the Warriors said in a statement. "There is no timetable for his return, but it has not been ruled out that he could play again before the end of the regular season."
There were earlier reports that Durant's injury suffered Tuesday could be even worse.
The NBA playoffs begin in six weeks, which means Durant should be able to play in the first round.
The most-anticipated MRI results of the season turned out about as good as the Warriors could have expected, given the nature of Durant's importance to the team. Durant's knee was damaged early in the first quarter of the Warriors' 112-108 loss in Washington. Wizards center Marcin Gortat flung Warriors center Zaza Pachulia out of the way in pursuit of a rebound, causing Pachulia to fall back into Durant's leg.
After the game, the Warriors reportedly signed forward Matt Barnes, instead of point guard Jose Calderon, to fill their 15th and final roster spot for the rest of the season. Barnes would probably replace Durant in the starting lineup.
Following the loss, the mood in the Warriors' locker room was understandably somber.
"Obviously KD is the No. 1 reason (for the mood)," Pachulia said.
Still, there was a glimmer of hope that Durant won't be missed for an extended period of time.
"We're not going to act like he died when we don't even know what happened," Draymond Green said. "We don't know what's going on."
