PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Golden State’s Kevin Durant won’t play in Saturday’s Game 3 against the Portland Trail Blazers because of a strained left calf.
The Warriors will also be without coach Steve Kerr because of an illness. Mike Brown will serve as acting coach.
It was the second game of Golden State’s first-round series with Portland that Durant has missed because of the injury. Golden State led the series 2-0.
Durant injured the calf in the third quarter of Sunday’s Game 1 victory against the Trail Blazers, but said he’s unsure how he did so. It then tightened up afterward.
He had 32 points and 10 rebounds in the Game 1 win before sitting out Game 2.
Matt Barnes (right ankle/foot sprain), and Shaun Livingston (right index finger sprain) were also out for the Warriors.
“We just felt they weren’t ready,” Brown said about Durant and the others, adding that the more rest they can get, the better it is for the Warriors as the postseason plays out.
Kerr missed the morning shootaround, and the team announced about three hours before the game against the Portland Trail Blazers that he would not be on the sidelines.
Durant participated in shootaround at the Moda Center earlier in the day, but was still listed as questionable heading into the game.
“I approach every game as if he’s not (playing),” Draymond Green said. “And if he is, great for us.”
Durant had returned from a left knee injury to play in Golden State’s final three regular-season games. He missed 19 games because of the injury he sustained at Washington on Feb. 28.
Kerr still experiences lingering symptoms from complications following two back surgeries after the franchise’s run to the 2015 championship. He missed the first 43 games last season dealing with symptoms such as headaches, nausea and an aching neck.
Despite his prolonged absence, the Warriors went 73-9 last season and played in the NBA championship game. Kerr was named Coach of the Year.
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