Durant not sweating Warriors' injuries: None are life-threatening
Kevin Durant is doing his best to keep his chin up in the face of adversity.
The All-NBA forward is recovering from a rib cartilage fracture and among four Golden State Warriors stars currently sidelined with injuries. He watched as Stephen Curry made his return to the lineup Friday versus the Atlanta Hawks following a six-game layoff due to an ankle tweak, only to go down with a knee sprain in the third quarter.
With Klay Thompson (thumb fracture) and Draymond Green (pelvic contusion) also out, the Warriors are limping to the playoffs, and the uncertainty around when their best players will return - and how rusty they may be when they do - cannot help their chances of defending their title.
Durant, who won the 2017 championship and was named Finals MVP in his first season with the Dubs, is keeping things in perspective.
"S--- ain't perfect when you're living life," he said after the 106-94 win over the Hawks, as quoted by ESPN's Chris Haynes.
"There's going to be ebbs and flows. I know since this whole Warriors (dynasty) started, it's been pretty nice. There's nothing to worry about. We're all living life good. We're playing in the NBA. We got a couple ankle tweaks, we got a few rib injuries, a couple of guys got kicked in the groin, a little fractured thumb. Nobody is dealing with anything life-threatening."
The four-time scoring champ indicated he had spoken to Curry after the point guard's latest injury - which occurred when teammate JaVale McGee fell on his left leg - and didn't seem too worried about it.
"Obviously, you don't know," Durant said. "Once you get the diagnosis and you figure out the timetable and what could happen. ... We don't know what's going on. You just want to get some information, but it's all good, man. Steph is going to work his tail off to get back no matter what it is, and we're all going to support him and we're going to be there for him. We're going to hold this s--- down."
Curry will undergo an MRI on Saturday to determine the severity of the MCL sprain. Meanwhile, Durant will remain on the shelf for at least one more week before being re-evaluated. Head coach Steve Kerr indicated Green is the closest to returning, as he could play as soon as Sunday against the Utah Jazz.
The Warriors sit four games back of the first-place Houston Rockets with 10 games remaining.