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Kevin Durant watches in the second quarter of Brooklyn’s game against the Charlotte Hornets at the Spectrum Center on December 27, 2020.
The Brooklyn Nets, winners of six games in a row on Tuesday, are on the rise. The notable part? They’re doing it without their best player.
Kevin Durant has now missed five games in a row – including Tuesday’s game against the Sacramento Kings – due to a minor left thigh injury against Golden State on February 13 Warriors has suffered. In total, the eleven-time All-Star has missed eight games, the last nine games of the networks; He was absent for three games in early February due to COVID-19 contact tracing.
The good news for Nets is that Durant appears to be approaching the light at the end of the tunnel.
« Yes, I do « Brooklyn coach Steve Nash said when asked if he expected to get 32-year-old Durant back via SNY before the All-Star break. « But again, we’re just trying to monitor and be careful. We’ve definitely slowed it down a bit in this regard. Don’t put pressure on him, don’t try to push him back in any way and just make sure we give him the right time to do more than to be healed, to be strong and conditioned to get back on the team. So we’re monitoring it and we’re in no rush, but I don’t think he’ll be out until the all-star break. «
The All-Star Game will take place in Atlanta on March 7th. The Nets have five games by then, including their game against the Kings on Tuesday.
Nash’s comments on Tuesday marked the first time he came up with a timetable for Durant’s injury. On Monday his update on Durant was also positive, but without going into details of when he expected him back.
« I think he’s making progress every day and it’s really positive, » said Nash of Kristian Winfield on Monday the New York Daily News. « But I can’t tell you when his return will be, but repeat that we are all optimistic and positive that he is improving quickly and will be back soon. »
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Before the Nets game against the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday, the 6-foot-10 Durant was in front of the game for the first time since his according to Winfield Hamstring injury on the practice range.
In an article for the New York Daily News, Winfield wrote that Durant was near perfect in his middle-distance shots during his practice, although the shots with extra distance were a bit short.
Kevin Durant did participated in the pre-game warm-ups today. He hasn’t been to the Suns or Lakers games. Today is the 4th game in a row that Durant has missed with a strain on his left Achilles tendon.
Steve Nash said Durant « is improving rapidly and will be back soon ». pic.twitter.com/gJsmOm6MXS
In Durant’s absence, James Harden and Kyrie Irving, the other two members of Brooklyn’s Big Three, have led the nets superbly. Irving averages 28.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 5.6 assists over the Nets’ six-game winning streak (he missed a game during that time due to back pain), and Harden got down with 27.5 points and 9.2 points in the MVP discussion toppled rebounds and 10.7 assists in those six games.
Durant was an MVP candidate all season. He averages 29 points, 7.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists. As the Eastern Conference’s leading voter for the All-Star game, he was named team captain. Irving and Harden also travel to Atlanta for the All-Star Game. Irving was chosen as the starter and Harden was named as reserve after a report by Shams Charania of The Athletic on Tuesday.
Ref: https://heavy.com
