Cousins out with torn quad
OAKLAND, Calif. — DeMarcus Cousins has a torn left quadriceps muscle that will sideline the Warriors center indefinitely, a devastating injury that the two-time defending league champs feared was serious when he went down in the first quarter of their first-round playoff loss to the Clippers.
An MRI exam Tuesday on Cousins’ left leg revealed the tear. The Warriors said Cousins will begin rehabilitation immediately and updates will be “provided as appropriate.”
Coach Steve Kerr said after the Warriors squandered a 31-point lead in the 135-131 Game 2 loss on Monday night that Cousins would be out for a significant period.
Playing in just his second career postseason game after a nine-year wait, Cousins went down in the first quarter in front of the Warriors bench after swiping a ball from Patrick Beverley in the backcourt. He immediately grabbed at his left quad. Cousins hobbled to the locker room at the 8:09 mark.
Cousins had just returned in January from a nearly yearlong absence following surgery for a torn left Achilles tendon suffered while with the Pelicans last season.
He had two points, two rebounds and an assist in less than 4 minutes Monday. He fouled out of Saturday’s 121-104 Game 1 win with nine points, nine rebounds and four assists in 21 minutes.
“I’ve been through something like that, getting hurt, getting all the way back and then getting hurt again, so I know how frustrating it is,” Warriors center Kevon Looney said. “He is a resilient guy. He’s been through adversity before and I know he’s going to bounce back.”
Looney picked up more minutes with Cousins’ injury and scored a careerhigh 19 points while making all six of his shots in 19 minutes. Kerr is likely to use a combination of shotblocking presence Andrew Bogut and Looney.
Stephen Curry expects the backups to fill the void, with Jordan Bell also likely in the mix.
“They’ve been playing amazing the last part of the regular season and these first two games,” Curry said. “It may look a little different considering the skill and talent and level that Boogie can bring when he’s healthy.” College basketball: A day after teammates De’Andre Hunter and Ty Jerome declared for the NBA draft, Virginia junior G Kyle Guy announced the same. Guy, a third-team All-American, led the Cavaliers in scoring and was named most outsanding player at the Final Four after leading his team to its first national championship. He has until May 29 to decide whether to stay in the draft or return to school . ... Kentucky freshman G Tyler Herro announced that he will remain in the draft after initially leaving open the possibility of returning to school. Herro was the Wildcats’ second-leading scorer . ... Virginia Tech junior F Kerry Blackshear Jr. entered the transfer portal, ESPN reported. Blackshear, who was the Hokies’ top rebounder and second-leading scorer, will be eligible to play next season as a graduate transfer.
Horse racing: Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey announced that she formed a task force to investigate 23 horse deaths at historic Santa Anita Park between December and March.
NFL: The Patriots signed four-time Pro Bowl WR Demaryius Thomas to a free-agent contract. Terms of the deal weren’t released. Thomas, 31, suffered a seasonending Achilles tendon injury in December and was released by the Texans in February . ... Bears TE Zach Miller retired just over 11⁄2 years after suffering a catastrophic injury midway through the 2017 season that nearly cost him his left leg. Miller, 34, has since undergone nine surgeries on the leg . ... Two-time Pro Bowl S Reshad Jones skipped the first Dolphins workout under new coach Brian Flores, who declined to specify a reason for the absence of the team’s highest-paid player but said Jones “made a decision to train somewhere else ... there’s not much we can do about it.”
NHL: The Kings hired Todd McLellan as their coach. McLellan, 51, spent seven seasons as coach of the Sharks, leading them to the playoffs six times and Western Conference finals appearances in 2010 and 2011. After he was fired in 2015, McLellan took the Oilers job. He was fired after 20 games this season. The Kings last won the Stanley Cup in 2014, but they went 31-42-9 this season, their worst since 2007-08.
Olympics: The basketball tournament at the 2020 Tokyo Games will shortened with three group matches instead of five. The new format will feature three four-team groups in both the men’s and women’s draws. The top two teams in each group will be joined in the quarterfinals by the two best third-place teams.
Soccer: Matthijs de Ligt scored in the 67th minute to lift Ajax into the Champions League semifinals with a 2-1 second-leg win over Serie A leader and host Juventus. Ajax advanced 3-2 on aggregate. Christiano Ronaldo, who had won the last three Champions League titles with Real Madrid, scored in the 28th minute but it didn’t hold up for Juventus. In another semifinal, Lionel Messi scored in the 16th and 20th minutes to help give host Barcelona an easy 3-0 second-leg win over Manchester United. The La Liga leader advanced 4-0 on aggregate.
TENNIS: In his opening match at the Monte Carlo masters, top-ranked and two-time tournament champ Novak Djokovic of Serbia outlasted Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 to advance to the third round.