Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant had to leave the game against the Miami Heat early in the first quarter on Sunday.
As he suffered from a contusion on his left thigh when he tangled with the Heats’ Trevor Ariza.
The injury occurred when he drove toward the basket for a layup in the first quarter.
According to Nets coach Steve Nash, Durant would be re-evaluated Monday morning.
The re-evaluation determines to find out the need for any further testing or imaging for the injury.
“He’s sore,” Nash said. “But we don’t know how severe. We’ll see tomorrow how he wakes up and go from there.”
Kevin Durant went back to the Nets locker room after suffering an apparent left leg injury. pic.twitter.com/CgCYni1bsU
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 18, 2021
Nash said he was making the plan for Durant to continue with the Nets on their trip to New Orleans.
But that Brooklyn’s medical staff is yet to fully examined him when Nash spoke to the reporters.
Kevin Durant entered the court with hopes to play for the entire game for the Nets.
But his hopes soon shattered.
As he was forced to leave the game early in the first quarter after entangled with Ariza causing injury in his left leg.
Nets’ Kevin Durant is out for remainder of game due to left thigh contusion, team says.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 18, 2021
Durant left the game and the trainer examined him before heading to the Nets locker room.
Durant dropped eight points including a rebound in just over four minutes before exiting the game.
He made all his shots from the field during the game and has not missed yet.
The Nets again without Kevin and Harden
“Any time one of our teammates goes down, any time something like that happens, it’s definitely going to take a hit for us,” Nets guard Kyrie Irving said.
“And he’s just gotten back. We just pray that it’s not too serious and he’s able to recover, but it definitely has a hit on our continuity, at times.”
Durant suffered from many injuries this season and just returned to the Nets on 8th April
He missed nearly two months with a right hamstring strain and came off the bench in his first game after injury.
The Nets continue to be without James Harden and missed a week and a half with a right hamstring strain.
Harden worked out in Miami on Saturday, and he is progressing toward a return, Nash said.
The Nets’ Big Three of Durant, Harden, and Irving has played just seven games together this season.
“We’ve had plenty of guys out of the lineup. Nothing new for us,” Nash said.
After Sunday’s contest, Nets forward Jeff Green said, “while he hadn’t gotten a chance to talk to Durant.
He knows Durant is “bummed that it’s happened frequently over the last couple of weeks, and he just wants to be out there playing.”
“When they do come back,” Green said, “we’ve just got to prepare ourselves for what is going to be the next plans for.
Whether that’s the next 10 games at the end of the season or come playoffs.
So, when everybody’s healthy, that’s when we’ll look down the road and see what we got to go up against.”
Brooklyn lost to the Miami Heat.
On Sunday, Brooklyn faced off the Miami Heat where the Heats defeated the Nets 119-117 at the buzzer.
Brooklyn suffered a huge blow early in the game as Durant left with a left thigh contusion.
Despite the injury, the Nets did a good job in holding off the Heat up to the final few seconds.
But Heat center Bam Adebayo made a buzzer-beater at the end giving the Heat a much-needed win.
Along with the buzzer-beater, Bam Adebayo held the Nets to 3-17 shooting as the primary defender today.
Kyrie Irving was 0-8 when guarded by Bam. pic.twitter.com/wySl1M1FWa
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) April 18, 2021
Both the teams started equally strong without giving each other a chance to take many points lead.
In the first quarter, Miami took the lead with only a point over the Nets and continued to extend the lead.
Heat one-point lead extended to four-point at the end of the second quarter.
But soon the Nets bounced back in the third quarter as they cut the Heat’s 4 point lead within 2 points.
As they entered the fourth quarter the game became more intense when both teams played tied the game at 107-107.
But ultimately the heat took the win with Bam Adebayo’s buzzer-beater.
For the win, Bam Adebayo led the Heat’s scoreboard with a double-double as he dropped 21 points, 15 rebounds including 5 assists.
Similarly, Goran Dragic dropped 18 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists while Kendrick Nunn made 17 points.
Likewise, Trevor Ariza made 15 points along with 9 rebounds and an assist and Duncan Robinson made 11 points.
On the other hand, Landry Shamet led the scoreboard for the Nets by scoring 30 points while Kyrie Irving scored 20 points, 4 rebounds, and 9 assists.
🔥 Career-high 30 for Landry Shamet! 🔥
Nets up 4 with 4 minutes left on ESPN pic.twitter.com/wK1IFUzhZh
— NBA (@NBA) April 18, 2021
Similarly Joe Harris scored 12 points while Jeff Green and Bruce Brown Jr. along with Durant scored 8 points.
Blake Griffin scored 7 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists while Timothe Luwawu Cabarrot scored 7 points.
The Nets will now face New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday while Miami Heat faces Houston Rockets on Monday.
