WARRIORS
Durant practices
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Kevin Durant participated in a light practice with the Golden State Warriors and was still listed as questionable to play in today's Game 3 of the playoffs at Portland because of a strained left calf.
He appeared to be moving well while doing shooting work alongside Stephen Curry after the workout, though Coach Steve Kerr doesn't plan to play Durant until he's been deemed fully healthy without risk of making the injury worse.
Kerr said Friday: "I'm not ready to say he's 100 percent, and so long as he's not 100 percent, we've got to be cautious and make the right decision."
Durant injured the calf in the third quarter of Sunday's Game 1 victory against the Trail Blazers but said Friday he's unsure how he did so. As frustrated as he is to be injured again, Durant said he doesn't want to cause himself to miss extended time by rushing back.
TRAIL BLAZERS
Nurkic doubtful
PORTLAND, Ore. -- The Portland Trail Blazers upgraded center Jusuf Nurkic to doubtful for Game 3 of their playoff series against the Golden State Warriors.
The Warriors have a 2-0 lead in the series, which shifts to Portland tonight.
Nurkic missed the final seven games of the regular season and the first two playoff games at Golden State because of a nondisplaced fracture in his right leg.
But there has been speculation the 7-footer known as the Bosnian Beast could return for the playoffs because he has been shooting around in warmups with the team.
Nurkic, traded to Portland on Feb. 12 from the Denver Nuggets, was averaging 15.2 points, 10.4 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in 20 games with the Blazers.
NETS
49% of team for sale
Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov wants to sell 49 percent of the Brooklyn Nets, the professional basketball team in New York that he fully owns, according to RIA Novosti.
A buyer for the stake hasn't been found yet, Prokhorov said, according to the news service. His spokesman didn't comment immediately when contacted by Bloomberg News.
Prokhorov said in November that he'd hired Allen & Co. to find a local minority investor for the Nets "to further strengthen the team's New York presence in order to expand upon our business and community relationships." He didn't say at that time how much of the club he planned to sell.
The former Russian presidential candidate's Onexim Sports & Entertainment paid $223 million in 2010 for an 80 percent stake in the team and a 45 percent share of its home arena. Prokhorov consolidated ownership of the team and its Barclays Center arena in Brooklyn in 2015, buying the remaining shares from Bruce Ratner's Forest City Enterprises Inc. in a deal that valued the team at $875 million and the arena at $825 million, including debt. The Nets ended the 2016-2017 season in last place in the National Basketball Association's Eastern Conference, winning 20 games and losing 62.
Sports on 04/22/2017