Report: Warriors believe KD suffered torn Achilles in Game 5
Golden State Warriors star Kevin Durant suffered an Achilles injury in the club's Game 5 win over the Toronto Raptors in the NBA Finals, president of basketball operations Bob Myers told reporters postgame, including ESPN's Tim Bontemps.
Durant will undergo an MRI on Tuesday and the team believes it will confirm a torn right Achilles tendon for the star forward, according to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne.
Myers said the team was cautious with the All-Star forward's rehab and consulted multiple experts before Durant was given the green light to suit up Monday. The Warriors executive also restated that Durant's initial injury was to his calf and not the Achilles.
"He was cleared to play tonight," said an emotional Myers. "That was a collaborative decision. I don't believe there's anybody to blame. But I understand this world, and if you have to, you can blame me. I run our basketball operations department."
Myers also pushed back on the notion that Durant wasn't committed to the team and was looking out only for himself.
"Kevin Durant loves to play basketball and the people that questioned whether or not he wanted to get back to this team were wrong," Myers said. "He's one of the most misunderstood people. He's a good teammate, good person. It's not fair."
Durant took to social media following Game 5 and wrote that he was "hurting deep in the soul." The 30-year-old's absence weighed heavily on his teammates, including Klay Thompson.
"He's a warrior," Thompson said postgame. "You saw what he did tonight. He sacrificed his health for us. We dearly miss him. It was very deflating him to see him go out. I'm just going to pray for the guy and I know he'll be back even stronger."
The two-time Finals MVP left early in the second quarter after he went down clutching his right lower leg. Durant called for the trainers shortly thereafter and was helped off the court to the locker room. He left Scotiabank Arena on crutches with a walking boot on his right foot.
Durant came out firing in his first appearance since Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Houston Rockets. He had 11 points on 3-of-5 shooting - including a perfect 3-for-3 from distance - in 12 minutes of action.
He entered Game 5 leading all postseason scorers with 34.2 points per game on 51.3 percent shooting.
The series shifts back to Oracle Arena on Thursday for Game 6.