Getty Images James Harden high-fives Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets.
Injuries have crippled the Brooklyn Nets this season. An issue that for most of the year was considered to not be a big deal is starting to become concerning for the championship favorites.
On Sunday afternoon against the Miami Heat, Nets’ star Kevin Durant suffered a left thigh contusion in the first quarter that held him out of the remainder of the blockbuster matchup with the reigning Eastern Conference Champions.
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Kevin Durant Could Miss Significant Time
Durant was held out of Tuesday’s matchup with the New Orleans Pelicans as well.
Monday night, Former Lakers’ doctor Marco Nunez was in a room on Clubhouse answering questions about the injuries to stars Anthony Davis, LaMelo Ball, LeBron James, and Durant. He gave his expert opinion on how long the Nets star could be out.
“I think KD has Mild Contusion to his quad, which leaves a bruise in that area. Unfortunately for KD, a bruise to your quad can be very uncomfortable and very painful. If you use that muscle, it gets painful,” he said of Durant’s injury in the Los Angeles Lakers Fan Club room on Clubhouse via LandonBuford.com.
When Durant banged knees with Heat forward Trevor Ariza he was in clear pain. Durant, who is an 88% free throw shooter on the season missed both free throws and was favoring his right leg for several possessions in the first quarter. When he could no longer endure the pain he called for a substitution, went back to the locker room, and never returned.
“At this time, there is no set timeline. With a contusion, it varies from person to person,” Nunez continued.
“It is really up to him and how he feels once the pain goes down. Some players may come back in two games, and others may wait two to three weeks because of mobility.”
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Nets Must Continue To Be Cautious With Durant
Dr. Randy Chan who was in the same Clubhouse room as Nunez added that the Nets have to be extremely cautious on how quickly they bring Durant back to avoid an even more severe injury.
“In some cases, calcium deposits can form inside soft tissue like a thigh muscle which is called myositis ossificans. This can happen after a deep muscle contusion or repeated muscular trauma to the same spot,” Dr. Chan said via LandonBuford.com.
“The calcium deposits can then cause pain and affect the range of motion,” said Dr. Chan.
James Harden Suffers Setback
Nets’ star James Harden is also dealing with a hamstring injury that he suffered on April 5 against the New York Knicks. Harden who was making significant progress toward a return, recently reaggravated the injury during his on-court rehab.
“James, he’ll be back when he’s back. That may not be until the playoffs. It may be sooner. I don’t know,” said Nets head coach Steve Nash of Harden’s injury per Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News.
“We have no control over that other than working as hard as we can to support him and getting back to full health to play again. We’re prepared for whenever that may be.”
The Nets will hope to have all of their players at 100% health when the playoffs begin on May 22.
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Nets Star May Miss Up to 3 Weeks With Significant Injury: Report