Five days after breaking his collarbone, Warriors C Kevon Looney to play in Game 4

Despite being pronounced out for the series after breaking his collarbone in Game 2 of the NBA Finals, Golden State Warriors center Kevon Looney managed to make it back to the series.

Wearing a compression vest to help with his injury, Looney saw significant minutes off the bench in Game 4

Kevon Looney returns faster than expected for Warriors

Looney was originally diagnosed with something the Warriors described as “a non-displaced first costal cartilage fracture” on his right side after colliding with Kawhi Leonard on Sunday. There was earlier speculation that Looney could return at some point in the Finals, but it’s doubtful anyone thought it would be this soon.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr told reporters that Looney would likely return before the game Friday.

“Kevon’s going to give it a go tonight,” Kerr said. “Further evaluation, a second opinion, and then a lot of research and making sure that there’s no long-term risk involved with him playing. It all checked out and he’s dying to play, so we’ll give him a shot and we’ll see what he’s got.”

Kerr also told reporters that the injury is in an area that allows him to move well enough to play and the only concern for the fourth-year center is pain tolerance.

“The guy’s just tough and he wants to play,” Kerr said.

Looney an underrated asset for the Warriors

Much has been made about the absence of Kevin Durant and, later, Klay Thompson for the Warriors as they find themselves down 2-1 to the Toronto Raptors, but losing Looney for a game was also a big loss for the Warriors.

After three seasons as a lesser-used member of the Warriors’ big man rotation, Looney had emerged as a quality frontcourt player for the defending champs. In 18 games this postseason, Looney has averaged 7.2 points and 4.6 rebounds per game while shooting 73 percent from the field.

Looney’s defensive value has also been significant as the Warriors push for a three-peat:

Without Looney, the Warriors’ big man rotation of DeMarcus Cousins, Damian Jones, Jordan Bell, Jonas Jerebko and Andrew Bogut combined for just 18 points on a ghastly 6-of-18 shooting in Game 3. Collectively, they posted just one more point and rebound than Raptors center Marc Gasol on seven more shots and more than double the minutes.

Warriors also hopeful for Durant return in Game 5 or 6

Kerr also told reporters that the team hopes Kevin Durant (calf) will be able to return for Game 5 or Game 6, but couldn’t give a definitive return date.

In a less than encouraging development, Kerr also announced that he would stop giving updates on Durant beyond whether the star would play, saying the process has gone “haywire.”

Durant has been out since Game 5 of the Warriors’ series against the Houston Rockets in the West semis and will be out again Friday for Game 4.

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