Warriors expect Durant back from injury for Game 3 or 4 of NBA Finals: report

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Game 1 couldn’t have gone much better for the Toronto Raptors.

Getting contributions from seemingly everyone, the Raptors won Game 1 of the NBA Finals by a score of 118-109. With home-court advantage and a rusty Warriors team, it was a game the Raps needed to win to give themselves a realistic shot at taking the championship.

Because the task is about to get a whole lot tougher.

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The Warriors appear that they will get superstar Kevin Durant back at some point in the series, perhaps as early as Game 3 on Wednesday, according to a report from Yahoo Sports’ Chris Haynes.

Haynes’ sources say there’s “some optimism” within the Warriors that Durant could return for Game 3, though Game 4 on Friday is the “most logical option.”

Durant has been out of action with a right calf strain since Game 5 of Golden State’s second-round series against the Houston Rockets. While they rattled off six straight wins without Durant in their lineup, Golden State clearly missed their 7-foot superstar in Game 1.

The former MVP made the trip to Toronto with his team, and is cleared to take part in individual on-court workouts, but not yet cleared to play.

The Finals schedule, which has two-day breaks in between all games with the exception of Games 3 and 4, should benefit the Warriors.

While Kawhi Leonard is one of the few players that can guard Durant effectively, clearly adding a 10-time All-Star would be a huge boost for the Warriors. Durant leads the postseason in average points (34.2), and has contributed 6.4 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game.

Golden State is in unfamiliar territory.

This is the first time the Warriors have trailed in a series in these playoffs. It’s also the first time they’ve had to prepare for an NBA Finals game while trailing in a series since 2015.

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