It's possible Kevon Looney could return for the Warriors during the NBA Finals.
The Warriors center suffered a chest bruise in his team's Game 2 victory over the Raptors on Sunday, and an MRI exam Monday revealed that Looney had broken his ribs, ruling him out of the NBA Finals "indefinitely," the team announced.
But according to ESPN.com, further evaluation of his injury has given Looney and the team hope that he could get back on the floor.
After undergoing further evaluation of the non-displaced first costal cartilage fracture he suffered in Game 2, Warriors forward Kevon Looney could potentially return during the NBA Finals, league sources told ESPN. More testing will determine next steps for Looney.
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) June 6, 2019
The injury likely occurred when he made contact with Toronto's Kawhi Leonard on a drive to the basket.
Kevon Looney gets injured on a Kawhi Leonard drive pic.twitter.com/t6fiQvdgNK
— The Render (@TheRenderSports) June 3, 2019
Looney logged 10 minutes in the first half of Game 2 and recorded one rebound after playing 28 minutes in Game 1 with nine points and three rebounds.
The 23-year-old played in a career-high 80 games in his fourth season with Golden State in 2018-19. He averaged 6.2 points and 5.2 rebounds per game during the regular season and has been an impactful defender for the Warriors.
Klay Thompson will be back for Game 4 after a hamstring injury forced him to miss Game 3. Meanwhile, Steve Kerr said the status of Kevin Durant remains unknown, according to The Athletic, though "the Warriors are cautiously optimistic that Durant also will make his return for Game 4," ESPN reports. The star forward hasn't played since straining his calf in Game 5 of Golden State’s second-round series against the Rockets.
The Warriors fell behind 2-1 in the series after losing Game 3 on Wednesday. Game 4 is set for Friday at 9 p.m. ET (ABC) at Oracle Arena.
