USATSI
Amid the Brooklyn Nets’ 102-101 win over the Heat on Sunday night, team superstar Kevin Durant, who left the game in the third quarter with what the team called a right knee injury, lost. On Monday, the team announced that Durant has a right MCL sprain and will be re-examined in two weeks. A little less than a year ago, Durant suffered an MCP sprain that kept him out for six weeks. but according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowskithere is optimism that he will be sidelined for less time with this knee problem, with the current expectation being a month out.
The injury came late in the third quarter when heat guard Jimmy Butler landed on Durant’s knee after falling from an attempted layup. Durant immediately started grabbing his right knee and stayed on the floor for a moment before finally limping back to the locker room. Shortly after, Brooklyn ruled him out for the remainder of the game. Here is the game where the injury occurred:
When Durant was sidelined last season, the Nets only went 5-16, including an 11-game losing streak, showing how important Durant is to this team. After losing Durant on Sunday night, however, the Nets managed to pull off a win after dropping nine points late in the fourth quarter and grabbed their 18th win in their last 20 games.
Kyrie Irving and others must now make up for the 30 points KD delivers each night. There’s not a single person on the Nets who could adequately fill Durant’s role, but Brooklyn has the depth to at least partially make up for its lost production now that Durant will be sidelined for a while.