Kerr confirms KD out remainder of Rockets series

Golden State'sKevin Durantsuffered a mild strain to his right calf and will miss the rest of the Warriors' Western Conference semifinal series with the Houston Rockets, the team said Thursday. He will be reevaluated next week.

"I think it's good news," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. "Calf strain, he's had them before. He's responded well. Obviously, we're disappointed he won't be able to play in this series. If we're able to win the series and move on, looks good for his return in the not-too-distant future."

Durant will not travel with the team for Game 6 on Friday in Houston and will remain in the Bay Area for treatment.

The Warriors lead the series 3-2, and Kerr was upbeat about his team's mindset heading into Game 6.

"It's the playoffs, it's the ultimate test. We're in a great spot, we're up 3-2. We have championship rings," Kerr said. "This group will never be doubted. This group has nothing to prove. There's a freedom in that.

"We're being hit with injuries which is a part of it. One of the reasons it's so hard to win a championship because things like this happen. We've been with injuries in the past during this run. This is probably the hardest we've been hit with DeMarcus (Cousins) and Kevin. The challenge is here, right there in front of our guys. We just have to win one game so let's do it."

Game 6 is Friday night at 9 p.m., and a potential Game 7 would be at Golden State on Sunday.

Durant'sinjury occurred with 2:11 left in the third quarter of Game 5 on Wednesday night as he went up for a jumper over Rockets swingman Iman Shumpert. Durant did not appear to make contact with Shumpert, but after landing, he took a few steps up the court, then clutched his right leg. Durant limped toward the Rockets' bench, and after a few moments, he went straight to the Warriors' locker room, accompanied by trainers and general manager Bob Myers.

Kerr and guard Stephen Curry noted that Durant was understandably downcast after the injury, but there was a palpable sense of relief within the locker room that his injury wasn't more severe. Initially, players and coaches feared that Durant tore his Achilles tendon, but Kerr was told by the Warriors' medical staff that was not the case.

With Durant out for an indefinite amount of time, Curry acknowledged Wednesday that the Warriors would have to go back to how they played four years ago, before Golden State acquired its star forward.

"Whoever has the ball, no matter if it's off a pick-and-roll, we swing, make the defense work, make decisions on that end of the floor," Curry said. "We still have a lot of weapons and can create good offense through that type of attack.

"At the end of the day, everything that we do starts with our defense. That gave us a chance to win down the stretch with how hard we played on that end of the floor. Just subtle changes that happen when you don't have those playcalls that gets K in the right spot to take advantage of his talent. We'll tap into that for however long he's out."

ESPN's Nick Friedell contributed to this report.