Kevin Durant injury: Out indefinitely with MCL sprain

The Golden State Warriors will be without All-Star small forward Kevin Durant indefinitely after suffering an MCL sprain Tuesday night against Washington.

On Tuesday night against the Washington Wizards, Golden State Warriors All-Star small forward Kevin Durant had to exit the game in the first quarter after suffering a knee injury. Teammate Zaza Pachulia collided into Durant’s left knee when going up for a rebound.

The Warriors’ official Twitter account posted on Wednesday morning the extent of Durant’s injury following his MRI. Durant has a “Grade 2 MCL sprain and a tibial bone bruise.” He is out indefinitely, but will be re-evaluated in a month’s time.

This is a tough blow for the Warriors, as Durant will certainly miss the rest of Golden State’s games in March. However, the Warriors have not ruled out the possibility of Durant returning this season, potentially before the end of the 2016-17 NBA regular season.

Golden State has gone 50-10 in its first 60 games. The Warriors have already clinched a playoff berth in the Western Conference. They have a four-game lead over the San Antonio Spurs for the No. 1 seed in the West, as well as a 13.5-game lead over the Los Angeles Clippers in the Pacific Division standings.

In short, Golden State has the ability to certainly survive Durant’s absence for the next few weeks. As long as the Warriors can get Durant back at full strength come playoff time, they will be a favorite to win the 2017 NBA Finals.

Next: Best NBA Teams To Never Win NBA Finals

Look for Warriors head coach Steve Kerr to find a new-look rotation in his lineups to account for the Durant injury. This should give him time to acclimate recently signed free agent Matt Barnes into the Warriors system. The news of Durant’s injury is bad, but it could have been so much worse.