Golden State Warriors point guard Steph Curry told reporters after his team’s second straight loss to the Toronto Raptors on Friday, which put them in a 3-1 hole in the NBA Finals, that the wheels had fallen off and they needed to rectify that if they wanted to extend the series.

It seemed the perfect opening for Kevin Durant’s return. Lo and behold, the Warriors star forward was activated for Monday’s Game 5, after missing nine games with a right calf strain sustained in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Houston Rockets on May 8.

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But the 30-year-old’s comeback was short-lived, as he went down clutching his lower right leg after trying to beat Serge Ibaka on the dribble less than three minutes into the second quarter — helped off the court and into the visitors’ locker room by a member of the Warriors’ staff and teammates Andre Iguodala and Curry.

He was ruled out for the rest of the night, with an MRI scheduled for Tuesday. Durant left the arena on crutches, with a walking boot.

Durant had looked like his old self in 11:57 of playing time through the first quarter and into the second, putting up 11 points and hitting all three of the three-pointers he attempted. He added one block and a pair of rebounds to what looked like it could be the beginning of a dangerous return.

Fans at Scotiabank Arena initially cheered Durant’s injury, but were quieted by gestures on the court from Ibaka and Kyle Lowry, who both checked on Durant as he slowly made his way off the court. Durant then went down the tunnel to the sound of Raptors fans cheering his name.

Durant’s presence, and what it could mean for the Warriors as they tried to mount a comeback, loomed large in the lead-up to Monday’s game. The 10-time all-star always poses a threat when he’s on the floor. He averaged 34.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game before the injury.

Durant was still a huge threat, even without having played, Warriors coach Steve Kerr said before tipoff.

“I don’t want to put too much of a burden on him,” Kerr said. “It’s been a while, we don’t know how it’s going to go, how it’s going to look, but just his mere presence makes a huge difference for us. So we’ll start him and play him in short bursts and see how he responds physically, see if his wind is OK and as the game goes, we’ll try to figure it out from there.”