DeMarcus Cousins joins Warriors for NBA finals against Raptors

The Golden State Warriors brought in some reinforcement for Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night with big man DeMarcus Cousins playing for the first time in more than a month. He entered the game to open the second quarter.

Head coach Steve Kerr announced at the morning shootaround that Cousins can play for the first time since April 15, when he tore his left quadriceps muscle during Game 2 of the opening round of the playoffs against the Los Angeles Clippers. Cousins saw limited action in the regular season after returning from a 2018 ruptured left Achilles tendon. He played in just 30 games with the Warriors, scoring 16.3 points per game with 8.2 rebounds.

The six-time All-Star is not expected to start in Thursday's Game 1 at Toronto against the Raptors and will be on reduced minutes, and Kerr was asked if he has a detailed plan on how his centre will be used. "I do, but I'm not going to tell you," Kerr said Thursday. The two-time defending champion Warriors, who have reached the NBA Finals in five consecutive seasons, are still without forwarding Kevin Durant, who has a calf strain.