DeMarcus Cousins' thigh injury is "pretty significant" and the Warriors center will be sidelined for "a while," coach Steve Kerr said after Golden State's NBA playoff loss Monday night.
The Warriors fear Cousins has suffered a torn left quadriceps but won't know for sure until he undergoes an MRI examination Tuesday, unidentified league sources told ESPN.
Cousins suffered the injury in the first quarter of Game 2 of the Warriors' playoff series against the Clippers after he fell chasing down a loose ball.
Boogie Cousins suffers non-contact injury appears to limp to the bench pic.twitter.com/lldZUMPI1r
— gifdsports (@gifdsports) April 16, 2019
The four-time All-Star did not return and the Warriors threw away a 31-point lead as the Clippers completed the biggest comeback in NBA playoff history to win 135-131 and even the Western Conference first-round series.
It is the latest injury setback for Cousins, who only returned in January after missing a year with a torn Achilles that he suffered while playing for the Pelicans in 2018.
Of Monday night's injury, Kerr told reporters: "There's a pretty significant quad injury. We'll get an MRI [on Tuesday], but he's going to be out for ... I'll just say a while because I think it's unclear right now how long he'll be out. It's significant."
DeMarcus Cousins (left quad injury) will not return to tonight's game. He will get an MRI in the next 24 hours.
— Warriors PR (@WarriorsPR) April 16, 2019
Cousins' teammate Stephen Curry said the timing of the injury was particularly cruel.
"It's tough, for sure," Curry said. "You feel for him considering all he's been through this last year.
"This is a big stage, the playoffs. He's been looking forward to this. I don't know the extent of the injury at this point, but I hope he gets back sooner rather than later.
"But just man to man, in terms of him being what he's been through, it's tough. There's no sugar-coating it. You hate seeing that opportunity on this big stage taken away from him like that."
Cousins, 28, made his first career playoff appearance in the Warriors' 121-104 victory over the Clippers on Saturday. He posted nine points, nine rebounds and four assists in the game.