The results of Kevin Durant’s MRI on his left knee are back and they could’ve been a whole lot worse.
Durant suffered a Grade 2 Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL) sprain and a tibial bone bruise, the team announced on Wednesday. Durant will be re-evaluated in four weeks, though there is no official time table for his return.
He is considered to be out indefinitely, but it has not been ruled out that he could play again before the end of the regular season according to Warriors public relations.
Durant injured the knee early in the first quarter of Tuesday’s loss to the Wizards, when Zaza Pachulia was pushed by Marcin Gortat and fell into Durant’s left knee.
Zaza Pachulia falls into Kevin Durant's leg, Durant heads to locker room with "hyperextended knee" pic.twitter.com/bmiumUSLvS
— Dr. Wob, M.D. (@World_Wide_Wob) March 1, 2017
With Durant’s future unknown, keeping hold on the number one seed in the Western Conference now becomes of utmost importance of Golden State. The Warriors currently hold a four game lead over San Antonio, but will play the Spurs twice more this season, both on the road, both on the end of back-to-backs. Clinching the number one seed wouldn’t just mean home court throughout the playoffs for the Warriors, it would also likely allow them to avoid the Rockets (the #3 seed) in the second round.
The Warriors signed veteran forward Matt Barnes shortly after Tuesday’s game. It is unclear if he or rookie Patrick McCaw will take Durant’s place in the starting lineup initially.