The Golden State Warriors were down two All Stars on Wednesday night as they dropped Game 3 of the NBA Finals to the Toronto Raptors, but the team is cautiously optimistic that both Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant could return for the pivotal Game 4 on Friday night.
Thompson, who suffered a hamstring injury in Game 2, was listed as questionable leading up to last night's contest, but head coach Steve Kerr says the team ultimately decided to rest him rather than risk further injury.
"The whole point was to not risk a bigger injury that would keep him out of the rest of the series," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said, per ESPN. "So that was the decision we made, and I feel very comfortable with it. Never would have forgiven myself if I played him tonight and he had gotten hurt. So you live with the decision you make, you make a wise decision, the wisest one you can, and then you live with it and move forward.
"So the good thing is, Klay has done well the last two days; now he has a couple more days to heal, and hopefully he'll be out there on Friday."
While Klay is now expected to play in Game 4, KD's status is still up in the air. According to ESPN, the Warriors are "cautiously optimistic" that Durant also will make his return this Friday.
Prior to Game 3, Kerr explained that Durant is progressing and is on track to participate in some 3-on-3 scrimmages on Thursday.
"We probably won't practice, practice as a team, tomorrow," Kerr said, per ESPN. "It will be a film session and a walk-through. So if possible, we'll get him together with some of our young guys, maybe a few of our coaches, and try to get him out on the floor. That would be the next step."
Durant has not played since suffering a calf injury on May 8. The 10-time All Star is averaging 34.2 points per night to go along with 5.2 rebounds and 4.9 assists in the playoffs.