Matt Steinmetz

One thing that became clear in the past few days: The Warriors really wanted a veteran addition to the team.

That veteran was supposed to be point guard Jose Calderon. But after Kevin Durant suffered a hyperextended left knee on Tuesday night against the Wizards that will keep him out at least four weeks, the Warriors changed course.

Now they are expected to wind up with small forward Matt Barnes, who had been waived by Sacramento. A couple of days ago the Warriors cut promising guard Briante Weber, who was on the end of his second 10-day contract. He was quickly snatched by Charlotte.

Whether it was going to be Calderon or Barnes, the Warriors clearly wanted a player they could ostensibly trust if they got into the difficult position of having to play deep into the rotation come playoff time. The thinking perhaps speaks to how confident the Warriors’ front office is in young players such as Patrick McCaw, James Michael McAdoo and Kevon Looney.

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The Warriors lost a game on Tuesday night. But they lost more than that, too. Golden State forward Kevin Durant sustained a left knee injury less than two minutes into the game and did not return. The Warriors ended up falling to the Wizards 112-108 in Washington — to start 1-1 on their five-game road trip.

More importantly, the Warriors will play without Durant for at least the next month after it was determined that he suffered a Grade 2 medial collateral ligament (MCL) sprain and tibial bone bruise.

The Warriors didn’t set a timeline for Durant’s return but said he will be re-evaluated in four weeks, and that he has not been ruled out to return late in the regular season or for the playoffs.

On “Warriors WrapUp,” the team’s postgame show, we discussed how the Warriors might fare playing without Durant. Is it possible that the San Antonio Spurs could catch the Warriors for the best overall record and thereby claim home-court advantage? Well, that could depend on Durant’s exact return date.

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The Warriors started out their five-game road trip with a strange one in Philly. A team known for taking a lot of 3-pointers and not many free throws could barely make a shot from beyond the arc and got to the line plenty.

The Warriors (50-8) beat the 76ers 119-108, despite going 6-for-29 from 3-point range (21 percent). They made up for it by getting to the foul line 39 times and making 33 of them (85 percent).

Link to “Warriors WrapUp,” the postgame radio show, will be posted when it becomes available.

Stephen Curry had one the worst shooting nights of his career, finishing 7-for-23 from the floor, including 0-for-11 from 3-point range. That’s the most number of 3s Curry’s ever taken in a game without a make.

Earlier this year Curry went 0-for-10 from beyond the arc in a loss to the Heat in Miami and 0-for-8 from 3-point range in a  loss to the Lakers. Zaza Pachulia, who finished with 16 points in 14 minutes, did a terrific job of finishing around the rim, going 5-for-5 from the floor and 6-for-7 from the foul line.

Kevin Durant had 27 points for the Warriors, Klay Thompson had 21 and Draymond Green had 14 points, 11 assists and five steals. It was the seventh straight time the Warriors beat Philadelphia.

Link: Is Draymond Green the best defender in NBA history?

Philly center Jahlil Okafor did something that you don’t see everyday — he had seven turnovers in just 17 minutes. The Warriors play the Wizards in Washington on Monday, their first of three back-to-backs in the next 13 days.

The Warriors have now won 50 games in four consecutive years.