Durant out at least two weeks after MRI on ribs

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Sat, 17 Mar 2018 - 08:00 GMT

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Sat, 17 Mar 2018 - 08:00 GMT

Mar 11, 2018; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant (35) looks to pass the ball over Minnesota Timberwolves guard Jeff Teague (0) in the second half at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

Mar 11, 2018; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant (35) looks to pass the ball over Minnesota Timberwolves guard Jeff Teague (0) in the second half at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

17 March 2018: The Golden State Warriors will be without Kevin Durant for the next two weeks as he recovers from an incomplete rib-cartilage fracture on his right side.

Durant had been ruled out for Friday night's loss to the Sacramento Kings, but announced before the game that an MRI had shown his injury to be more serious than he thought.

"It hurts when I laugh," he said, per ESPN. "Right now, since it's so new, getting up and out of bed and getting up and out of my seat -- normal movements throughout the day, not even basketball movements, that irritates it just a bit. And then obviously on the court.

"Hopefully this feels better over the next week or so, and I'll be out there."

Durant said he suffered the injury last Sunday in a collision with Minnesota's Karl-Anthion Towns, then aggravated it against the Lakers a couple nights later.

"Late in the game, I was driving to the rim and I kind of rammed into Karl-Anthony Towns, and that's when I felt it," Durant said Friday. "That's when it happened, for sure, and they told me it got inflamed over the last couple days between games."

Durant is averaging 26.6 points, 6.8 rebounds and 5.4 assists in his second season with the Warriors.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr weighed in the potential long-term impact of his latest star player to be sidelined with an injury.

"(My concern is) not too high because we're probably looking at a week or two and evaluate him, but it doesn't appear to be anything longer than that," Kerr said. "All these injuries seem to be temporary. A couple weeks, a week, two weeks -- whatever. We're in good shape. We've just got to survive this next slate of games and hopefully start getting guys back and get rolling again for the playoffs."

Klay Thompson (fractured thumb) and Steph Curry (sprained ankle) are also out for Golden State.

Curry and Thompson will have their injuries re-evaluated next week and both could potentially be back to oppose the Atlanta Hawks on March 23 in the opener of a four-game Warriors homestand.

Thompson is averaging 19.7 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game, all slightly above his career averages.

Curry, 29, is averaging 26.3 points, 6.2 assists and 5.1 rebounds per game this season.

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