Kevin Durant injury update: Nets star exits game vs. Pelicans

The Nets are eagerly awaiting the results of an MRI on superstar Kevin Durant’s left knee.

Durant left the game midway through the second quarter when Bruce Brown fell backwards to his left knee trying to defend a fast break situation. The Nets announced shortly after that he would not return to the game.

Durant has been playing at an MVP level for Brooklyn this season, which had to offset the early loss and then part-time availability of point guard Kyrie Irving this season. Through 35 games, Durant is averaging 29.7 points, 7.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists.

The Nets were in third place in the Eastern Conference before the game with the Pelicans, but are only 4-6 in their last ten games.

Brooklyn has had its Big Three of Durant, Harden and Irving available together for only 16 games, but they are 13-3 in those games.

What’s next for Durant? Here’s everything we know about his injury and the latest news on how long he may be out.

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What is Kevin Durant’s injury?

Durant’s injury is reported as a left knee sprain. More will be known once the results of the MRI come in.

The injury bears some similarities to the one Durant sustained to the same knee in 2017 when a collision with Zaza Pachulia forced him to sideline 19 games. That injury was listed as a grade 2 MCL sprain.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Durant will have an MRI on Sunday.

How long will Kevin Durant be out?

Using Durant’s previous knee sprain with Golden State as a guide, Durant could spend two to four weeks off the court. Obviously, more will be known once the results of the MRI are revealed.

The time depends on the severity of the sprain.

By context, a “sprained knee” can mean many different things, and recovery time varies greatly. Simply put, a sprain is an injury to a ligament, which is a band of tissue that connects two bones. This differs from a strain, which is an injury to a muscle or the part of the muscle that connects to a bone, the tendon.

ESPN’s Nick Friedell reports that Durant is confident that the injury is not as serious as the Zaza Pachulia incident.

The Nets are scheduled to play 11 of their next 14 games on the road with Kyrie Irving available for those games.

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