TORONTO, June 10 -- Golden State forward Kevin Durant will play in Monday's Game 5 of the NBA Finals, Warriors coach Steve Kerr said, after his nine-game layoff with a right calf injury.
"He has responded well and he's going to play," Kerr said. "He can play now. He has been cleared and he's going to play."
The 2017 and 2018 NBA Finals MVP has been sidelined for more than a month as the defending NBA champions have been taken to the brink of defeat by the Toronto Raptors, who lead the best-of-seven series 3-1.
Durant was the Warriors leading scorer with 34.2 points a game and also contributed 5.2 rebounds and 4.9 assists a game for Golden State before being hurt against Houston in the second round.
The major question is how well can Durant play after such a long layoff and how well will he be able to blend into the Warriors' lineup.