When Kevin Durant left Tuesday’s game against the Washington Wizards with a knee injury, it seemed to be the end of the world for the Golden State Warriors.
Durant immediately grabbed for his left knee and was seen limping off to the locker room. He would be ruled out for the game in short order with an initial diagnosis of a hyperextended knee. MRI results would determine the severity of the injury itself.
Reports of a downtrodden Warriors locker room following their 10th loss of the season seemed to suggest Durant might miss the remainder of the season. That was only magnified later Tuesday evening when reports suggested the team was going to sign veteran wing Matt Barnes for the remainder of the season (more on that here).
So, the news Golden State received following Durant’s MRI has to be considered pretty good.
Injury Update: Kevin Durant suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain and a tibial bone bruise.
Full details below. pic.twitter.com/t3JkVnMmqa
— Warriors PR (@WarriorsPR) March 1, 2017
According to the team, Durant suffered a sprained MCL and a tibial bone bruise. He is out indefinitely, but will be re-evaluated in four weeks. The hope here is that Durant will be able to return in time for the end of the regular season, getting some work in before the playoffs start.
Golden State has a four-game cushion for the top spot in the Western Conference. That’s definitely good news as the team looks to forge ahead for at least the next month without its best player.