Winners of 18 of their past 20 games, the Brooklyn Nets (27-13) suffered a blow Monday as superstar Kevin Durant will miss at least the next two weeks due to a sprained MCL in his right knee, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Kevin Durant will re-evaluated in two weeks with an MCL sprain, team says.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 9, 2023
The injury occurred in the third quarter of Sunday’s 102-101 victory over the Heat after Miami forward Jimmy Butler fell into Durant’s knee.
The 34-year-old suffered an MCL sprain in his left knee last season and wound up missing 21 games – Brooklyn going 5-16 over that stretch.
After a drama-filled offseason that included a trade request (eventually rescinded), Durant has responded by playing some of the best basketball of his career. Through 39 games, the two-time Finals MVP is averaging 29.7 PPG (sixth in NBA) on 55.9 percent shooting.
With Durant sidelined, Kyrie Irving’s usage rate should go through the roof, while Ben Simmons will likely have to contribute more offensively.
Brooklyn is in action Thursday when it hosts the Eastern Conference-leading Boston Celtics.
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