Kevin Durant set to play in Game 5 for Golden State Warriors
Watch Game 5 of the NBA Finals in the early hours of Tuesday morning (2am) live on Sky Sports Arena
Tuesday 11 June 2019 04:09, UK
Kevin Durant will play for the Golden State Warriors in Monday night's NBA Finals elimination game against the Toronto Raptors.
Durant, who has been sidelined for more than a month with a strained calf, participated in practice for a second straight day on Monday morning, shortly after which ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported, citing league sources, that the All-Star forward would play.
Live NBA: Golden State @ Toronto
The Warriors trail the Toronto Raptors 3-1 in the title series, meaning their quest for a third consecutive NBA championship could end in Game 5.
Durant spent about 25 minutes on the court before leaving toward the end of the Warriors' shootaround session for continued treatment.
"He went through full shootaround and went back to get treatment," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said earlier on Monday. "We'll list him game-time decision, but it looked good and we'll see where it all goes."
Durant did not say anything as he walked past a horde of media to get toward the Warriors' locker room.
He was cleared by the Warriors' medical staff after Game 4 of the NBA Finals and practiced with the team on Sunday for the first time since his injury. He averaged 26.0 points per game for the Warriors during the regular season and 34.2 points in 11 playoff games before he got hurt in Game 5 of the Western Conference semi-finals against Houston.
Kerr was asked if he had any reservations about Durant's ability if he does take to the court for Game 5 of the finals.
"You worry about the conditioning," Kerr said. "The skill, obviously, is undeniable and he's a guy who can get a shot off anytime he wants. He's been in similar situations with us where he's had long layoffs. He's Kevin Durant. If we have him out there, he'll be a threat. We know that."
Durant was the NBA Finals MVP when Golden State captured titles in 2017 and 2018. He has missed Golden State's last nine games; the Warriors are 6-3 in those contests.
Game 5 takes place in Toronto in the early hours of Tuesday morning (2am) live on Sky Sports Arena
