Kerr: It was a mistake to let injured Durant play vs. Thunder

Kevin Durant should not have suited up against his former team.

The Golden State Warriors superstar played in Wednesday's contest against the Oklahoma City Thunder despite nursing a sprained left ankle, and head coach Steve Kerr expressed remorse for permitting the All-NBA forward's premature return to the court.

"I thought he was fine. We thought he was fine, but then he got sore afterwards (Wednesday)," Kerr said Friday, as quoted by ESPN's Baxter Holmes.

"I'm sure the league is happy with us because we played him on their 'marquee' game with (Russell Westbrook) and all that stuff, but he came out sore the next day, so we shouldn't have played him."

Kerr added the team must be careful with Durant, who's now missed two games with the ankle injury and three overall. While the bench boss doesn't believe it to be severe, he'll ensure the reigning Finals MVP is healthy before allowing him to return.

Durant notched 21 points, five boards, two assists, and two steals in the 108-91 loss in OKC. Though he said he felt good enough to play at his old stomping grounds, he missed the preceding contest, and the one that followed in Friday's 143-94 blowout win over the Chicago Bulls.

The 2014 MVP is listed as doubtful for Saturday's contest against the New Orleans Pelicans. The Warriors are 3-0 in his absence, with Omri Casspi starting in his place and Andre Iguodala seeing a boost in minutes.