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Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant could return relatively soon. the team announced on Tuesday He will return to on-court basketball and running this week, and Athletic reported He can suit up again before the All-Star Game (February 19) and attend the game itself. Durant sprained the MCL January 8th.
Full update from net:
Kevin Durant’s right MCL sprain was reassessed yesterday by Dr. Riley Williams III of the Special Surgery Hospital. Dr. Williams is very pleased with Durant’s recovery so far, as he continues to strengthen his knee and plans to begin running and on-court basketball activities this week. He will also be re-evaluated in two weeks.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski originally reported that Durant is expected to be sidelined for about a month. If he was allowed to play within his two weeks, he would have been sidelined for almost a month. Between February 1 and his All-Star break, Brooklyn has a long homestand, with the only “road” game being at Madison Square Garden. If Durant is reassessed just in his two weeks, the earliest he can return is his Feb. 7 game against the Phoenix Suns. The Nets then host the Chicago Bulls (Feb. 9) and the Philadelphia 76ers (Feb. 11) before visiting the New York Knicks (Feb. 13) and hosting the Miami Heat (Feb. 15). .
As Wojnarowski pointed outDurant and the team will have to weigh the benefits of playing as soon as his body allows, versus the extra rest and recovery that sitting through after the break will give him. The first game will take place in Chicago on February 24th.
The Nets were hopeless when Durant missed six weeks with a more severe MCL sprain last season. This year’s team is completely different.Brooklyn is 29-17 this season and is fourth in the Eastern Conference, one game behind the second-placed Philadelphia 76ers. A strong series of offseason signingsAfter losing four straight games right after Durant’s injury, the Nets rebounded with away wins against the Utah Jazz and Golden State Warriors. For the season, they have his 9th-best offense and his 7th-best defense in the NBA. In his 20 games without Durant, they were his 18-2.
Durant is having an MVP and All-Defense season. In his 39 games before his injury, he averaged 29.7 points on a career-high 67.3% of his true shooting, plus he had 6.7 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.5 blocks. last week, In the final All-Star fan vote returnGiannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks passed Durant to lead the votes of all East players.
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