Kevin Durant Injury: Steve Kerr Offers Update, Curry Unconcerned After Loss

The Golden State Warriors’ inconsistent run since the All-Star break continued Sunday night as they lost 115-111 to the Phoenix Suns – the team with the second-worst record in the NBA this season. Steve Kerr’s team have now lost five of their last nine games but are still 1.5 games ahead of second-placed Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference.

The loss Sunday against the Suns was not the only concern for coach Kerr going into the week that will see them face the Houston Rockets on Wednesday and Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday. Kevin Durant suffered an ankle injury in the fourth quarter, which saw him retire to the locker room and not reappear for the remainder of the game.

The Warriors small forward is a vital member of Kerr’s team and any injury to him will be a massive blow to the reigning back-to-back champions. With 16 regular seasons to go, all the teams will be looking to build momentum going into the playoffs, something the Warriors are not doing consistently at the moment.

Kerr, however, was not too concerned after he revealed that the knock to Durant’s knee is nothing serious. The Warriors head coach revealed that he had a short conversation with the forward after the game and was informed that he was fine, according to ESPN’s Nick Friedell.

Durant, a two-time NBA Finals MVP, will have three days to recover before they play at the Toyota Center in Houston against last season’s Western Conference finalists. Kerr could even decide to take it easy and not rush the forward, who ended the night with 25 points.

Meanwhile, Stephen Curry, who finished with 18 points on the night, was not too concerned about the loss to NBA’s second-worst team. The point guard admitted that it was an uncomfortable feeling to be in, but revealed that being challenged is something the team is enjoying at the moment.

“Let’s not forget last year was way worse than this, way worse than this, with injuries and things like that. We have pretty much everybody healthy,” Curry said after the loss, as quoted by the New York Post.

“We talked about the things we need to get better at going into the playoffs and just haven’t done it. It’s an uncomfortable feeling, which I think we like right now. We’re getting challenged, we’re getting teams’ best shots.”

“One game, you miss shots,” the three-time NBA champion added. “We took ones we thought we could make. If they go down this could be a totally different conversation. So don’t overreact to that.”

The Warriors, despite their inconsistent form, are still the favorites to win their third straight NBA championship, but what could happen after the season is all a big question mark. The likes of Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson are entering free agency in the summer and have been linked with moves to rival franchises.