Warriors injuries: Thompson to play, Durant out Game 4

The Warriors have struggled with injuries as they make a run to defend their title in the NBA Finals, but there is a bit of good news for Golden State.

Klay Thompson, who has been dealing with a strained hamstring, is expected to play in Game 4 after sitting out Wednesday’s 123-109 loss, coach Steve Kerr confirmed Thursday. However, Kevin Durant (strained calf) will continue to be sidelined for Friday’s game in Oakland.

Thompson was considered a game-time decision for Game 3. He initially suffered the injury early in the fourth quarter of Game 2 after he landed awkwardly while attempting a 3-pointer. The Warriors went on to win that matchup 109-104, evening the series at 1-1.

“The whole point was to not risk a bigger injury that would keep him out of the rest of the series,” coach Steve Kerr told reporters after Wednesday’s loss. “So that was the decision we made, and I feel very comfortable with it. … So the good thing is, Klay has done well the last two days; now he has a couple more days to heal, and hopefully he’ll be out there on Friday.”

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Kerr says Durant hasn’t experienced any setback; his calf just isn’t game-ready. “The hope would be that he could still make it back for the end of this series,” Kerr told reporters (via ESPN).

The Warriors coach confirmed Thursday that Durant would participate in 3-on-3 scrimmages later in the day and that he has been progressing well through his workouts. The star forward hasn’t played since straining his calf in Game 5 of Golden State’s second-round series against the Rockets.

“We probably won’t practice, practice as a team, (Thursday),” Kerr said late Wednesday. “It will be a film session and a walk-through. So if possible, we’ll get (Durant) together with some of our young guys, maybe a few of our coaches, and try to get him out on the floor. That would be the next step.”

With Wednesday’s loss, the Warriors fell behind 2-1 in the series. Game 4 is set for Friday at 9 p.m. ET (ABC) at Oracle Arena.