OAKLAND, Calif. – DeMarcus Cousins has a torn left quadriceps muscle that will sideline the Golden State center indefinitely, a devastating injury that the Warriors feared was serious when he went down in the first quarter of Monday's historic playoff loss to the Clippers.
A magnetic resonance imaging exam Tuesday morning on Cousins' left leg revealed the tear. The two-time defending NBA champion Warriors said Cousins will begin rehabilitation immediately and updates will be "provided as appropriate."
Coach Steve Kerr said after the 135-131 Game 2 loss on Monday that Cousins would be out for a significant period. The Warriors at one point had a 31-point lead, and was the largest ever squandered in the NBA playoffs. The series is now tied 1-1 heading back to Los Angeles.
Landry Shamet hit a go-ahead three-pointer with 16.5 seconds left to cap a historic comeback that topped a 29-point rally by the Lakers in the 1989 Western Conference semis against Seattle.
Lou Williams tied the score on a jumper with 1:10 to play then Steph Curry immediately answered. Williams scored again at 46 seconds and finished with 36 points.
"That's a record we didn't necessarily want to have. We'll take it," Williams said. "You're competitive and you get lost in the game. Once you cut the lead to 12, you cut the lead to 10, then you realize you've got a game going."
Kevon Looney picked up the bulk of the extra minutes in Cousins' absence and scored a career-high 19 points, going 6-for-6 from the floor, but the Warriors had their seven-game postseason winning streak end that dated to last year.
Playing in only his second career postseason game after a nine-year wait, Cousins went down in the first quarter in front of the Golden State bench after swiping a ball from Patrick Beverley in the back court. He immediately grabbed at his left quad. Cousins hobbled to the locker room at the 8:09 mark.
