Related Post
Kevin Durant has sprained his knee and will be re-evaluated in TWO WEEKS after exiting Brooklyn Nets’ win over Miami Heat following injury from Jimmy Butler falling on his leg
- Kevin Durant left Sunday’s win vs. the Heat after Jimmy Butler fell into his knee
- And the Nets said Monday he will miss at least two weeks of action for Brooklyn
- Durant suffered a similar-looking injury in January 2022 and missed six weeks
- Brooklyn has been the hottest team in the league of late, winning 18 of 20 games
- Click here for all your latest international Sports news from DailyMail.com
Nets star Kevin Durant has been diagnosed with an isolated MCL sprain of the right knee and will be reevaluated in two weeks, the team said Monday.
Durant left the 102-101 win vs. Miami in the third quarter of the game after the Heat’s Jimmy Butler fell into his knee after having his shot contested by Brooklyn’s Ben Simmons.
The 34-year-old went to the ground grabbing the inside of the knee, and briefly stayed in the game before deciding something wasn’t right.
In addition to the update from the team, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that there’s ‘optimism’ Durant will be sidelined for no more than a month – as opposed to an MCL sprain last season that cost him six weeks.
Kevin Durant was hurt after Jimmy Butler fell into his knee after driving to the basket
Despite the fairly encouraging timeline provided by the team, Durant’s latest injury will undoubtedly feel like deja vu to fans and his teammates.
It was just a week later from Sunday in 2022 when Durant suffered a sprained MCL in extremely similar fashion as teammate Bruce Brown collided with him on January 15.
And that time, Durant missed roughly six weeks with injury rehab as the team’s season cratered.
Durant has played at an MVP level for the Nets this season, averaging 29.7 points per game
At 27-15 when the forward went down, the Nets went 5-17 with him out – including an 11-game losing streak – as Brooklyn fell down the standings and James Harden requested a trade.
With superior depth than last season, the Nets – second in the East with a 27-13 record – will feel they are better equipped to withstand this Durant absence.
Wojnarowski also reported there’s ‘optimism’ that this injury is less severe than last season’s.
Kyrie Irving and Nic Claxton will take on heavier responsibility for however long Durant is out
Nonetheless, the scare has surely put a damper on a scorching 18-2 run that has seen them revive their season.
‘I think everybody just will have to step up,’ Claxton said Sunday night.
‘This is not the first time that he’s been out or Ky has been out. Everybody will just have to step up a little bit, and we’ll be all right.
Advertisement
