Kyrie Irving catches a breather during a matchup with the Indiana Pacers.
Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving missed his sixth straight game on Sunday. For those who have been tardy to the party, Nets owner Joe Tsai suspended Kyrie for a minimum of five games for not apologizing for sharing the link to the film “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America” which contains antisemitic tropes. Although Kyrie eventually apologized, it didn’t come until after he got officially suspended by the franchise.
After missing his sixth consecutive game on Sunday night, Irving’s suspension appears indefinite. But help could soon be on the way for the Nets star. According to NBA Insider Marc Stein, The National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) could soon interject on Kyrie’s behalf and file a grievance against the Nets for his suspension.
“Word is Irving is itching to get back on the floor, and there have been rumbles for days that the National Basketball Players Association, at some stage, could move to file a grievance on Irving’s behalf if the various parties involved can’t reach a resolution on a return timetable,” Stein wrote via his Substack account.
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Jacque Vaughan Sounds off on Nets’ Injuries
Irving was not the only Nets player out of action when they capped off their Los Angeles road trip against the Lakers on November 13. So was All-Star forward Ben Simmons, who was dealing with knee soreness, and Seth Curry, who is managing a surgically repaired ankle.
Nets head coach Jacque Vaughan noted that the injuries piling up puts a “strain” on the remaining available players.
“It just puts a strain on everyone else,” Vaughan said of the Nets’ injuries following the loss, per NetsDaily. “We put David Duke in, Patty [Mills] in earlier, Markieff [Morris] in earlier than our normal rotation. Tried to really use our group to kind of get us to the end of the game, but it puts a strain on us when we’re not completely whole for sure.”
Kevin Durant Praises Nets, Anthony Davis
The Nets had an opportunity to get another victory on the board against a 2-win Lakers team who was without LeBron James. But in the absence of one Lakers star, another one stepped up. That was Anthony Davis, who had a stat line of 37 points and 18 rebounds in the loss.
What seemed like a give-me game for the Nets as the Lakers were on a five-game losing streak turned out to be a 13-point loss in just the third win of the season for the Lakers. After the game, Durant sent high praise to Davis, while also acknowledging Brooklyn’s effort in the loss.
“We just played in [spurts tonight. It was a perfect storm for them. They made a lot of shots and got to the rim. The AD [Anthony Davis] pick-and-roll was tough to stop tonight but I like how we fought,” Durant said postgame via NetsDaily.
“They got back into the game in the third quarter, and we had a chance to win. They made more shots down the stretch than us, plain and simple.”
With the Nets now 6-8 on the season, they have their work cut out to get back in the playoff picture.