FILE PHOTO: May 6, 2019; Houston, TX, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant (35) dribbles the ball as Houston Rockets guard Austin Rivers (25) defends during the first quarter in game four of the second round of the 2019 NBA Playoffs at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
May 17, 2019
Golden State Warriors star Kevin Durant is “not close” to recovering from his right calf strain, ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne reported Thursday afternoon.
Durant was injured in Game 5 of the Warriors’ Western Conference semifinal series with the Houston Rockets. He missed Golden State’s clinching win against Houston in Game 6, then sat out the Warriors’ Game 1 victory in the Western Conference finals vs. the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday.
He already had been ruled out for Game 2 against Portland on Thursday night. According to Shelburne, Durant has yet to restart basketball activities, leaving no set timeline for his return to game action.
Durant is averaging 34.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.9 assists in the postseason after averaging 26, 6.4 and 5.9, respectively, during the regular season.
–Lee Anderson, stepfather of presumptive No. 1 NBA draft pick Zion Williamson, appeared on the “Off the Bench” show on 104.5 ESPN Baton Rouge and said Zion is ready to plant roots in New Orleans.
He added the family already has chatted with Pelicans general manager David Griffin and coach Alvin Gentry.
Chatter on Wednesday was that Williamson was disappointed that New Orleans drew the No. 1 pick in Tuesday’s NBA draft lottery, and that he could consider returning to Duke for a sophomore season and take his chances in the 2020 draft, instead. Anderson quickly shut down those rumors.
–NBA legends Magic Johnson and Larry Bird will once again share center stage when they receive the NBA’s Lifetime Achievement Award on June 24.
The award comes 40 years after Johnson led Michigan State to the NCAA championship in a 75-64 win over Bird’s Indiana State team on March 26, 1979. Their matchups as the central figures in the historic Lakers-Celtics rivalry, combined with the emergence of Michael Jordan, re-energized the NBA in the 1980s.
They will be honored at the 2019 NBA Awards show in Los Angeles. Previous winners of the Lifetime Achievement Award are Bill Russell (2017) and Oscar Robertson (2018).
–Field Level Media
