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For those who may not have heard the Brooklyn Nets are still without their star point guard Kyrie Irving. Irving, was expected to be an integral part of the Nets winning a title this season. He has been sidelined by the team until he gets the COVID vaccination. Kyrie is a significant missing piece for the Nets. But they have had several players step up in his absence. Players like DeAndre Bembry, LaMarcus Aldridge, Patty Mills, and Cameron Thomas have all contributed more than what was expected of them to start the season. At times it has not been pretty, but the Nets still sit at the top of the Eastern Conference with a record of 17-7.
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Kevin Durant Sounds off About His Increased Workload
With the unexpected absence of Irving, everyone’s workload has increased as the 7-time All-Star has left quite the void to fill. But nobody has had to shoulder the load for the Nets like their superstar Kevin Durant. Durant leads the league in points per game with 28.4 per contest. Durant also is tied for 7th in the league in minutes per game with Los Angeles Lakers star Russell Westbrook. They both average 36.2 minutes per contest. But KD doesn’t mind his increased workload this season.
“You see my face, you’ve been around long enough to know when there’s one of these games, why I want to stay in, We have two days in between. I have been sitting at home a lot, to be honest. So, when I get a chance to play, yes,” Durant said after the Nets win over the Mavericks per SNY.
“I know people may be concerned about my minutes and I got injured before and all this extra s**t. But we’ll figure that out if I get there, right now, I want to play basketball… I might play 48 tomorrow, just cause, give you something to talk about.”
Durant, Nets Escape Dallas With Impressive Win
Durant and the Nets escaped out of Dallas with a 102-99 win over the Mavericks. KD struggled for much of the first half and the Nets trailed by as many as 17 points in the contest. Kristaps Porzingis and the Mavericks defense had zeroed in on KD before the opening tip.
“It’s going to be a team effort to try to stop him, which is not easy to do,” Porzingis said before the game per Landon Buford. “But if I find myself matching up against him, I’ll try my best.”
Durant struggled but eventually got going. And it happened in the 4th quarter when the team needed it most. KD netted 11 of his 24 points in the game’s final frame, draining clutch bucket after clutch bucket en route to perhaps the Nets’ most impressive win of the season.
The Nets, amid all of the drama they have faced ,could not find themselves in a better position than they currently are. Durant is playing like an MVP candidate and they sit alone in the Eastern Conference’s top spot. Even more impressive is that they have done so without the services of Kyrie. Who knows if he will return this season, but the Nets right now seem to be in the ranks of the NBA’s top teams.
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