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NBA Finals: Kevin Durant out for Game 1, DeMarcus Cousins upgraded to questionable

The Warriors will officially begin the NBA Finals short-handed without Kevin Durant.
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The Golden State Warriors enter the 2019 NBA Finals as betting favorites to claim their third consecutive championship. However, the Toronto Raptors pose a significant challenge on the heels of a lights-out showing in the Eastern Conference Finals and, for good measure, Kawhi Leonard and company own home-court advantage on the NBA's biggest stage. Beyond that, the Raptors are catching a bit of a break on the injury front, as Warriors head coach Steve Kerr told reporters on Monday that Kevin Durant will officially miss Game 1 when tip-off arrives on Thursday. 

News of Durant's official absence comes as no surprise, as the Warriors released an official update about the unlikely nature of his return for the opener. With that said, it is a significant development in that the former MVP would certainly help Golden State on both ends of the floor (even with the team's documented success without him in recent months) and the Warriors aren't known for their depth, at least with their current roster. 

On the flip side, the Warriors did receive a bit of a good news on Monday, with Kerr noting that DeMarcus Cousins has been upgraded to questionable for Game 1. The former All-Star big man suffered a torn quad during Golden State's opening round victory over the LA Clippers and, in some ways, it is jarring to see Cousins potentially able to return before Durant. Though there is uncertainty as to how much Cousins' presence would help the Warriors, another top-tier talent rarely hurts. Offensively, Cousins would provide a different dynamic for Golden State, particularly in minutes in which Stephen Curry and/or Klay Thompson were resting on the bench. 

The Warriors are currently 1-point underdogs in Game 1

Brad Rowland
Brad Rowland

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