According to several reports, forward David Lee of the Golden State Warriors will miss the rest of the NBA Playoffs after tearing his right hip flexor Saturday afternoon during Game 1 of the Warriors best-of-seven series with the Denver Nuggets.

According to sources, David Lee of the #Warriors suffered a Grade 3 tear in his right hip flexor & is done for season. #NBAPlayoffs

— FanSided NBA (@FanSidedNBA) April 21, 2013

The Warriors training staff initially believed the injury to be a “probable right hip flexor strain”, but an MRI on Sunday revealed the full extent of the injury. His X-Rays on Saturday were negative.

Lee suffered the injury early in the fourth quarter after colliding with Nuggets center JaVale McGee on a drive to the rim, and then landing awkwardly on the court. He would hit one of two free-throws at the charity stripe, and then hobble over to the bench in a great deal of pain.

Lee finished the game with 10 points on four for 14 shooting, including a game-high 14 rebounds. The Denver Nuggets eventually won the game by a final score of 97-95, giving Denver a 1-0 series lead.

In 79 games this season, David averaged a double-double of 18.5 points and 11.2 rebounds (fourth in the NBA), eventually being named to his second NBA All-Star team.

Yesterday was the first NBA playoff game of his eight-year career.

This is a huge blow for the Warriors, as this is just Golden States second playoff series in 20 seasons. The Denver Nuggets are also expected to have Kenneth Faried back on the court for Game 2 Tuesday night, who will be quite the handful to contain with Lee on the sidelines.

Chris Walder is the Editor of Sir Charles in Charge. You may follow him on Twitter at @WalderSports

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Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

Playoff Schedule

Game 1 – Saturday, April 20, Golden State at Denver, 5:30 p.m., ESPN

Game 2 – Tuesday, April 23, Golden State at Denver, 10:30 p.m., TNT

Game 3 – Friday, April 26, Denver at Golden State, 10:30 p.m., ESPN2

Game 4 – Sunday, April 28, Denver at Golden State, 9:30 p.m., TNT

Game 5* – Tuesday, April 30, Golden State at Denver, TBD

Game 6* – Thursday, May 2, Denver at Golden State, TBD

Game 7* – Saturday, May 4, Golden State at Denver, TBD

Season Record

Denver Nuggets (57-25, second in Northwest Division) vs Golden State Warriors (47-35, second in Pacific Division)

Season Series: Denver Nuggets 3-1

November 10, 2012 (107-101 for Denver)

November 23, 2012 (102-91 for Denver)

November 29, 2012 (106-105 for Golden State)

January 13, 2013 (116-105 for Denver)

Key Matchups

Ty Lawson vs Stephen Curry

Kenneth Faried vs David Lee

Andre Iguodala vs Klay Thompson

Stat Leaders

Points: Nuggets – Ty Lawson (16.7), Stephen Curry (22.9)

Rebounds: Nuggets – Kenneth Faried (9.2), David Lee (11.2)

Assists: Nuggets – Ty Lawson (6.9), Stephen Curry (6.9)

Fun Fact

The Denver Nuggets 57-regular season wins and 38 victories at home were both franchise-records.

How the Denver Nuggets will win this series:

Denver leads the league in points in the paint and shots taken around the rim. With the health of Warriors center Andrew Bogut still up in the air, the Nuggets should look to attack the rim on a consistent basis and push the ball up the court, not allowing Golden State to set up their defense. They should also look to take advantage of their home-court, especially with the altitude, which is always an issue for opponents. The Warriors can score with the best of them (7th), but no one does it better than Denver (first overall). Golden State can score 115, but the Nuggets could easily score 120.

How the Golden State Warriors will win this series:

The Warriors are going to have to “make it rain” from downtown to keep up with the Nuggets on offense. Golden State is the only team in the NBA shooting above 40% from behind-the-arc on the year. Three players (Jarrett Jack, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson) all shoot higher than 40%, as well. Denver allows the most three-pointers to the opposition in the league (23.1), so they will get plenty of opportunities. Denver is also hobbling in to the postseason, with Danilo Gallinari out for the season, and both Kenneth Faried and Ty Lawson banged up.

This is going to be one of the hardest series to call in the first round. A Warriors win wouldn’t shock anyone, even with the sixth seed in the Western Conference.

Final Prediction: Golden State Warriors in seven

Chris Walder is the Editor of Sir Charles in Charge. You may follow him on Twitter at @WalderSports

Be sure to “LIKE” the Facebook Fan Page for Sir Charles in Charge by clicking here