Haynes: Kevin Durant (Calf Strain) Will Miss Game 2 vs. Blazers

Golden State Warriors star Kevin Durant will miss Game 2 against the Portland Trail Blazers due to his nagging calf strain, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. With Durant sidelined, the Warriors still defeated the Blazers 116-94 in Game 1. Stephen Curry led the way in Durant’s absence with 36 points on 12/23 shooting and nine three-pointers.

Durant’s original injury report from Ramona Shelburne placed his re-evaluation date on Thursday for the strain that he suffered in the semifinals against Houston. Him sitting out Game 2, especially as Golden State routed Portland to start the series, is therefore not a surprise.

The Blazers, also short-handed with Jusuf Nurkic out and both Rodney Hood and Enes Kanter ailing, have an improved chance of stealing a win at Oracle with Durant out once again. However, the result of Game 1 shows that the Warriors are still an elite team without the back-to-back Finals MVP.