Getty James Harden, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving high-five after coming off the court during the second half of the Brooklyn Nets' game against the Miami Heat at Barclays Center on January 25.
Nets’ star Kevin Durant scored the team’s first eight points and looked to be in attack mode against the Miami Heat.
Then things went sour for the Nets.
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Kevin Durant Leaves Game With Thigh Contusion
Early in the first quarter of the game against the Heat, Durant collided knees with Heat forward Trevor Ariza as he was fouled. Durant who is an 88% free throw shooter would miss both foul shots and was clearly feeling discomfort for the next several possessions.
Nets Head coach Steve Nash called timeout as his superstar forward was clearly in pain and KD left the game to go to the locker room to be looked at by trainers.
Per Shams Charania of The Athletic the Nets are calling Durant’s injury a left thigh contusion and he did not return to the game.
Kevin Durant went back to the Nets locker room after suffering an apparent left leg injury.
Nets’ Kevin Durant is out for remainder of game due to left thigh contusion, team says.
Jimmy Butler Did Not Play Against Nets
Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler will not get a chance to face the Brooklyn Nets this regular season as the All-Star was ruled out of Sunday’s game with an ankle injury. Butler also missed both of the Heat’s games against the Nets in January as he was in the NBA’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols.
Butler is the latest name on a long list of stars on the injury list in this 2020 NBA season.
Injuries to Stars Have Plagued This NBA Season
If anyone knows anything about dealing with injuries this season it is the Brooklyn Nets. One reason that the Nets’ three-headed monster of James Harden, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Durant has only played seven games together is that their roster has been riddled with injuries from the beginning of the season.
Their young star Spencer Dinwiddie tore his ACL in just the third game of the season, and he has been ruled out for the remainder of the year. Durant suffered a hamstring injury in mid-February, and it held him out for 23 games. Now James Harden has his own hamstring injury that he is dealing with which has held him out since April 5.
LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Jamal Murray, and several other superstars have been out for an extended period and many players believe that the NBA’s condensed schedule is the reason for it.
Raptors guard Fred VanVleet has also been out for an extended period this NBA season as a hip injury sidelined him for seven games this year. The 2019 NBA champion feels that playing basketball with such a condensed schedule does not feel natural.
“To be honest, this is probably the most un-pure year of basketball I’ve ever been a part of, just from the whole league and rushing the season back,” the Raptors guard said via Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports.
“It’s pretty much all about business this year on every level. It’s hard to hide it now.”
Durant has already missed nearly a third of the NBA season. The severity of the injury is still unknown but the Nets are hoping that it is not too serious.
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Nets’ Star Leaves Heat Game With Apparent Leg Injury