Warriors star Kevin Durant traveled on the team’s charter to Toronto on Tuesday ahead of Games 1 and 2 of the NBA Finals against the Raptors, even though he has been officially ruled out of Game 1 with a strained right calf.
Game 1 is Thursday (9 p.m. ET, ABC), but the Warriors then have a couple of days off before Game 2 on Sunday.
Durant injured his calf in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Houston Rockets and has not played since.
He was not in Portland when the Warriors swept the Trail Blazers to win the Western Conference finals.
The All-Star forward has been shooting on his own but has yet to do any on-court work with his teammates as he continues the rehab process, coach Steve Kerr said.
The Warriors said Friday that they were hopeful that Durant could return at some point in the series.
The Warriors have gone 5-0 in Durant’s absence, but the two-time NBA Finals MVP would be a valuable counter to Raptors star Kawhi Leonard on both ends of the floor.