The Brooklyn Nets were blown out on Wednesday as the Utah Jazz ran away with a 118-88 win. It had something to do with Brooklyn missing the entirety of its Big Three.
Sarcasm, of course. That loss had everything to do with the Nets being without their three superstars. We know Kevin Durant is still dealing with a lingering left hamstring strain. We know James Harden sat out with soreness in his neck after an in-game collison with Wizards forward Garrison Matthews on Sunday and playing through it against the Trail Blazers on Tuesday.
But what about Kyrie Irving? The team announced on Monday that the guard would not travel with the Nets on their current three-game road trip while he deals with a family matter. On Thursday, news broke about the specifics behind Irving’s absence.
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Irving and His Fiancee Expecting
Irving and his fiancee, Marlene Wilkerson, are having a baby, according to reporter Pat Ragazzo on Twitter. Ragazzo wrote the expectation is for Irving to miss between one and three more games, which includes Friday’s game against the Pistons in Detroit and could include Monday’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves and Wednesday’s game against the Houston Rockets, both at Barclays Center.
Source: I’m being told #Nets guard Kyrie Irving and his fiancé are having a baby and that’s why he did not travel with the team on their west coast trip
The expectation is that he will miss 1-3 more contests for Brooklyn
Irving, 29, already has one child, a girl, who was born in 2015.
Another Absence Due to Personal Matter for Irving
Earlier this season, Irving missed a game for a different type of personal matter.
NBA reporter Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson tweeted in February that Irving’s reason for not playing in that game was simply that he just did not feel like it.
“It was a game against the 76ers, TNT game and essentially there was a lot going on the day before. The insurrection at Washington, D.C. happened at the Capitol Building, and from what I understand Kyrie took a personal day,” Robinson said during an appearance on Ian Begley’s show The Putback to add more context to his tweet.
“From what I understand, Kyrie took a personal day”
@scoopB joined The Putback to talk about Kyrie Irving’s absence, the TNT tweet last month, and more: t.co/rFA3guYnuh
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Nets Struggling Without Kyrie
Irving, a seven-time All-Star and the first overall pick in the 2011 draft, has missed a total of 14 games this season. The Nets, who are 30-15 overall, are only 8-6 in those games.
When he has suited up this season, Irving has played some of the best basketball of his 10-year career. He’s averaging a career-high 28.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 5.7 assists. He’s been incredibly efficient shooting the basketball, too, with a 52.0/41.6/89.1 shooting line.
Brooklyn’s Big Three has played only seven games together since the team traded for Harden on January 14.
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Kyrie Irving’s Reason for Most Recent Absence Revealed: Report