Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant is making progress in his rehabilitation from a knee injury but faces at least two more weeks on the sidelines, the club said in a statement on Tuesday.
He has not played since limping off after spraining ligaments in his right knee in Brooklyn’s victory over Miami on January 8.
The Nets said Tuesday that he was expected to return to light training later this week and would be re-evaluated in a fortnight.
Durant’s medical assessment
“Kevin Durant’s right MCL sprain was re-evaluated yesterday by Dr Riley Williams III at the Hospital for Special Surgery,” the Nets said in a statement.
“Dr. Williams is very pleased with his recovery thus far, as he is progressing well and as expected.
“He will continue to strengthen his knee and begin running and on-court basketball activities this week.
“He is scheduled to be reassessed in another two weeks.”
Brooklyn have suffered four defeats in six games since Durant’s injury earlier this month.
Kevin Durant is not happy with Nets’ Management and hasn’t talked to them in weeks
Kevin Wayne Durant is an American professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association. He played one season of college basketball for the Texas Longhorns, and was selected as the second overall pick by the Seattle SuperSonics in the 2007 NBA draft.
The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games at Barclays Center.
It might be a tough summer for the Brooklyn Nets because there is a controversy surrounding Kyrie Irving’s future on the team and also it appears that Kevin Durant is not confident with Brooklyn’s management.
There has been a growing speculation over the few weeks that Durant may be his way out if Brooklyn can’t re-sign Irving.
Brooklyn was lauded as the NBA’s next super team when Durant, Irving and DeAndre Jordan decided to sign there in 2019.
It’s still uncertain where Durant will be headed this offseason, or if he even leaves the Brooklyn Nets after all his unhappiness.
What is Kevin Durant’s net worth?
Celebrity Net Worth currently lists Durant’s net worth at $170 million.
Who is kevin Durant’s dad?
Wayne Pratt
Is Kevin Durant in a relationship?
Although he has dated a lot of women after his infamous breakup, Durant is not yet engaged with anyone currently.
Who is Kevin Durant wife?
I really didn’t know how to, like, love her, you know what I’m saying? We just went our separate ways.” Monica Wright, WNBA player, something like a high school sweetheart. One night Kevin got so full of feelings he just up and proposed to her. “We was just hanging out, chilling.
Irving returns in Nets win, Warriors end road skid
The Brooklyn Nets marked Kyrie Irving’s return from an eight-game suspension with a 127-115 victory over Memphis on Sunday as the NBA champion Golden State Warriors finally earned their first road win of the season.
Irving, who was suspended by the Nets after his social media post linking to a movie condemned as anti-semitic sparked a furore, scored 14 points in 26 minutes on the floor.
Kevin Durant led the Nets with 26 and Ben Simmons added 22 as seven Nets players scored in double figures.
That included Japanese reserve Yuta Watanabe, who made four of the Nets’ 16 three-pointers on the way to 16 points.
“It was great to have him get some minutes out there and for us to get a win while he’s doing it,” said Nets coach Jacque Vaughn, who said he expected Irving and the team to be able to focus on basketball going forward.
“At the end of the day, now it’s about hoopin’,” Vaughn said of his message to Irving. “I used that word.
“From this day on that’s what we’re going to be about. Basketball is factual. You get the rebound, that’s a fact. You box out, that’s a fact. You make the shot, that’s a fact.
“So we’re going to make this thing factual. It’s about basketball and we’re going to live in that space.”
The row surrounding Irving, who was suspended a week after his late October post for failing to offer an apology, came the same week that Vaughn took over after Steve Nash was sacked in the wake of the Nets’ 1-5 start to the season.
They have now improved to 8-9, with former Rookie of the Year Simmons finally coming alive for the team he joined in a trade last season after his relationship with Philadelphia soured because of struggles with a back injury and mental health issues.
Simmons connected on 11 of 13 shot attempts for his first 20-point game since the 2021 playoffs for the 76ers — who will host the Nets on Tuesday.
Dillon Brooks scored 31 points for the Grizzlies, who were without dynamic star Ja Morant, Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson.
In Houston, Warriors sharp-shooter Klay Thompson burst out of his early-season slump with a 41-point performance in Golden State’s 127-120 victory over the Rockets.
Thompson drilled 10 of the Warriors 24 three-pointers, getting off to a blistering start as he scored half of the Warriors 40 first-quarter points.
The Rockets, last in the Western Conference, battled back to take a four-point lead at halftime, but Stephen Curry scored 16 of his 33 points in the third quarter as the Warriors reasserted themselves.
The tenacious Rockets managed to edge ahead by one midway through the fourth, but Thompson’s final three-pointer and a high-arching trey from Curry put the Warriors over the line in the closing minute.
“Well, long overdue,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said, “but we’re happy to get the win.”
Nuggets stun Mavs
Denver’s Michael Porter hit the game-winning three-pointer with 55.2 seconds remaining in Dallas, lifting the Nuggets to a 98-97 victory over the Mavericks.
Denver reserve Bones Hyland led all scorers with a career-high 29 points as the Nuggets overcame the absence of two-time reigning Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic, who was sidelined along with Jamal Murray by Covid concerns.
The Nuggets were boosted by an incredible three-pointer from just beyond the half-court line by reserve Vlatko Cancar at the buzzer to end the first half.
In fact, the shot came after the interval, as officials decided to replay the final two seconds of the second quarter when it was determined during the break that Dallas star Luka Doncic had stepped out of bounds as he rose for what was originally scored a three-pointer at the halftime buzzer.
In Los Angeles, the Lakers were in control throughout a 123-92 victory over the San Antonio Spurs, despite the absence of superstar LeBron James for a fourth straight game with a groin injury.
Anthony Davis scored 30 points and grabbed 18 rebounds for the Lakers and with the game in hand sat out much of the fourth quarter.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich was not on the bench, and the team said after he arrived at the arena that he was ill.
Kevin Durant, a two-time NBA champion and two-time NBA Finals MVP, was traded to the Phoenix Suns in a blockbuster trade last February.
This came after the Nets failed to win the Larry O’Brien Trophy despite having Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden monickered as the ‘big three’, on their roster. With Harden going to the 76ers and Irving finally leaving the Nets for the Mavericks, there was hardly any reason for Durant to stay on the team.
That is, until a fresh online rumor surfaced, suggesting that Ben Simmons’ return to health would have convinced Durant to stay with the Nets and dispelling the notion that Irving’s departure was the final straw, as many fans at the time believed.
The article that started it all
On October 10, Brian Lewis of New York Post wrote an article highlighting Simmons’ development and performance in the Nets’ most recent game against the LA Lakers.
Although it frequently touts Simmons’ remarkable improvement over his performance in the previous season, one specific phrase in particular drew the public’s attention.
“If Simmons had been healthy last season, sources told The Post that Kevin Durant likely would’ve stayed on in Brooklyn even without Kyrie Irving.”
Kevin Durant would have stayed in Brooklyn last season had Ben Simmons been healthy, per @NYPost_Lewis
"If Simmons had been healthy last season, sources told The Post that Kevin Durant likely would’ve stayed on in Brooklyn even without Kyrie Irving." pic.twitter.com/xSEXZFdxMU
Fans’ reactions to the latest Simmons and Durant rumor
As soon as fans learned about this news from NBA Central on X, they immediately commented on how it might be real given that Simmons is a star player when he’s in good health.
One X user said, “A lot of people have to realize it was a Time point where Ben Simmons was a number 1 option on a Team with Embiid. Ben Simmons at full health is a superstar. He was Drafted Number 1 to be an MVP-level talent. And up until he got hurt he was always in the conversation.”
While another user was in doubt and wrote, “All ifs, buts & maybes. The fact is KD was always going to leave and go to Phoenix because that was a better situation for him.”
The status of Bradley Beal’s participation in the games has been listed as uncertain for a few days, and as of now, there is still no sign that the shooting guard for the Suns will recover, stage a comeback, and thrill the team’s fans when he eventually returns to the court.
Back on October 13, Sean Highkin announced that Beal would be sidelined as he dealt with tightness in his lower back.
Via Highkin: Frank Vogel says Bradley Beal is out with lower back tightness, but Kevin Durant and Devin Booker will both play.
Frank Vogel says Bradley Beal is out with lower back tightness but Kevin Durant and Devin Booker will both play.
Fans expressed their worries during that time and hoped that his condition wasn’t anything serious. On October 16, though, Beal made an appearance in the Phoenix Suns’ preseason bout against the Portland Trail Blazers, where he played for 18 minutes and scored 11 points with two assists and two steals.
No updates regarding Beal’s condition were made during that time. Everyone was unsure whether his back had improved or was still bothering him during the game, but the Suns later that week disclosed that he was still experiencing back tightness and would not be playing in the final preseason game against the Lakers, according to Yahoo Sports.
Frank Vogel said he limited Bradley Beal (low back tightness) and Devin Booker (sore toe) today, but both should be fine. #Suns
Despite not being present, the Suns shooting guard assured supporters of the team that his injury is not serious and that he is improving.
“It’s better, it’s better,” Beal said after Monday’s practice via the Arizona Republic. “A little tweak last week. Definitely trending right and feeling better. Was able to practice last two days. So it’s been good.”
Injured Beal is still out
Last year, Beal posted an impressive 23.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game while shooting 50.6 percent from the field and 36.5 percent from three-point distance, as reported by Sports Illustrated. With his high-caliber performance, the fans were hopeful that Beal would be able to return to the court in a timely manner and contribute to the team’s success against its opponents.
However, Shams Charania broke the news on X that Beal is still out and would not be playing in Suns’ game against the LA Lakers.
Via Charania: Suns stars Devin Booker (foot) and Bradley Beal (back) will both miss tonight’s game vs. Lakers, sources tell @TheAthletic@Stadium.
Suns stars Devin Booker (foot) and Bradley Beal (back) will both miss tonight’s game vs. Lakers, sources tell @TheAthletic@Stadium.
The announcement left the fans with a sense of unease, as Kevin Durant was the only remaining member of the Suns’ highly-regarded “big three” and would now have to face the Lakers’ big guys on his own.
Murray has maintained a consistent level of performance throughout the season, with an average of 16.3 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 7.6 assists in 30:51 minutes per game. In seven games played, he shot a 3-point percentage of 43.8%, which is a career high.
He’s been an integral part of the Nuggets’ great start this season, currently sitting at a record of 8-1, with their only loss coming against the Minnesota Timberwolves, who beat them up 89-110.
However, it seems that the team will have to make do without their guard, Jamal Murray, throughout the remaining days of November.
Nuggets: Murray’s Injury Update
Unfortunately, the Nuggets lost a key player this month when Murray sustained a right hamstring strain.
On Thursday, November 9, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN posted an update regarding Murray’s state.
“ESPN Sources: Denver Nuggets star Jamal Murray will be likely sidelined for the remainder of the month because of his right hamstring strain.”
The Nuggets are taking a cautious approach to assure that there will be no lingering issues with the hamstring and there’s an expectation that Murray will need three-to-four weeks to properly heal and return to play, sources said. (More on NBA Countdown at 7 PM Eastern on ESPN).
“The Nuggets are taking a cautious approach to assure that there will be no lingering issues with the hamstring and there’s an expectation that Murray will need three-to-four weeks to properly heal and return to play, sources said. (More on NBA Countdown at 7 PM Eastern on ESPN).”
Murray previously had a similar injury close to the conclusion of their training camp. But according to their coach, Michael Malone, this was a novel situation, as his most recent hamstring strain only happened during a particular play in their Saturday match-up against the Chicago Bulls.
Murray’s no show at Pelicans game
Monday’s game against the Pelicans came, and Murray was nowhere to be found, escalating of what was supposed to be a minor situation. In an interview, Nuggets head coach Michael Malone informed media that the guard would be absent “longer than they’d like.”
Coach Murray’s statement via ESPN: “This will be something that will be longer than we would like. You have to have the big picture in mind and make sure we’re putting him in position to get healthy before he comes back.”
As a result, the Canadian player was replaced by veteran guard Reggie Jackson in the game and is expected to remain in the starting lineup moving forward, as per Yahoo Sports.
