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Saturday, April 8, 2017
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Golden State Warriors star Kevin Durant rises to the basket during the 2017 NBA regular season before being sidelined by an injury on Feb. 28 at Washington.AP
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OAKLAND – Months ago when the season began, the Golden State Warriors focused all their energy on incorporating Kevin Durant.
Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson figured out how to share the shots with another superstar added to the mix, while Draymond Green adjusted to fewer attempts on offense and welcomed another defender who could wreak havoc and block shots.
When Durant returns from a left knee injury Saturday barring any setbacks after missing more than a month, he will rejoin a Golden State group on a roll that appears poised for another deep postseason run. The Warriors have said all along they will settle for nothing less than a second championship in three years after last season’s near miss.
Durant was medically cleared during a day off Thursday to resume full practice beginning Friday. He is tentatively scheduled to play against New Orleans.
Any challenges working KD back into the mix?
”Hell no, absolutely not,” Green said. ”He’ll fit in right in, but we don’t need him to fit in. I think that’s what people kind of get mixed up. He wasn’t brought here to fit in, he was brought here to stand out. I think that’s what’s important. We don’t need him coming back trying to fit in with what’s going on. We need him to come back and be KD.”
Golden State’s co-leading scorer along with Curry at 23.5 points per game and the top rebounder, Durant was hurt Feb. 28 at Washington when Marcin Gortat pushed Zaza Pachulia and Golden State’s center fell into Durant, who has missed 19 games since with a Grade 2 MCL sprain and bruised tibia.
When Durant went down, Golden State had to find a way without him – and it wasn’t pretty for a while. The Warriors lost four of their next six games, suffered consecutive regular-season defeats for the first time in nearly two years and even experienced a three-game skid for the first time since November 2013. (AFP)
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