Warriors try to retain top seed with Kevin Durant out

The Warriors' most consistent player spends his time during the team's road games these days reclining on a big, gray couch in his Oakland Hills mansion. "I didn't feel like an NBA player this last week," Durant, bulky black brace covering much of his left leg, said before Golden State's 99-86 loss to Boston on Wednesday night. Durant signed with the Warriors in July for a singular purpose: to win his first NBA title. [...] with 18 regular-season games left, he is forced to watch his teammates try to make sure Golden State has as easy a path to the league Finals as possible. Long poised to cruise to the Western Conference's No. 1 playoff seed, the Warriors are struggling to fend off San Antonio. Falling Saturday to San Antonio could tie Golden State in the loss column with the Spurs, even if the Warriors win at Minnesota on Friday. Because the Warriors dropped their season opener to San Antonio, they would surrender the tiebreaker with another loss to the Spurs. [...] if it drops to the No. 2 seed, Golden State would face a much more daunting first-round matchup against Memphis or Oklahoma City. Though the Warriors have handled Oklahoma City comfortably three times, they recognize...