Kevin Durant will play in Game 4 vs Trail Blazers

After missing the previous two playoff games, Kevin Durant will return to action on Monday night for the Golden State Warriors in Game 4 vs. Portland.

The Golden State Warriors have a 3-0 series lead over the Portland Trail Blazers in Round 1. Despite a competitive Games 1 and 3 and the Blazers holding their own, the Warriors have been too much for them. What’s crazy, though, is that Golden State has gotten by without a real hitch in the past two games without Kevin Durant on the floor.

Their prized free agent signing from this past offseason, Durant missed about a quarter of the regular season due to injury. After suffering a much more minor leg injury in Game 1, the Warriors deemed it best to sit him out. With Game 4 and potential sweep looming on Monday night, though, they decided that he’d had enough rest.

Prior to tip-off on Monday night in Portland, ESPN reported that Durant will play in Game 4:

Despite the time missed in the regular season, Durant has been phenomenal all season. Granted, that wasn’t hard to predict given the talent around him, but it’s still been impressive.

With that being said, there was speculation about whether or not the Warriors should play him in this series or not at all. After all, they built the 3-0 lead without him, essentially. So why not just let him rest.

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Then again, if Golden State is able to secure the series victory tonight, they’ll have less worry about rust when Durant takes the floor in the second round. So in that light, it does make sense.