NBA: Kevin Durant pulled out of the game twice due to Covid-19 protocols

NBA: Kevin Durant pulled out of the game twice due to Covid-19 protocols

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The two-time champion, who is usually a starting player for the Nets, was remove from the starting lineup to face the Toronto Raptors after someone Durant spoke to this afternoon had an unconvincing Covid-19 Test result shortly before the game.
According to the NBA website, he was kept out while the result was reviewed.

Eventually, the ten-time All-Star was cleared to continue in the first quarter. However, the drama did not end there.

Durant jogged off the track during the game against the Toronto Raptors.

Later in the game, Durant’s close contact tested positive. The 32-year-old was told in the third term that he had to leave the game and he was frustrated to see him throw a water bottle as he moved to the locker room.

The NBA Most Valuable Player in 2014, who played a total of 19 minutes in the game, later tweeted: “Free me.”

With the uncertainty surrounding Durant’s status clouding the game, the Nets struggled for consistency against the Raptors, eventually falling 123-117.

And after the defeat, Nets head coach Steve Nash suggested that the ever-changing situation regarding Durant affected his own judgment, which again hampered his team.

“To be honest, I probably did not handle it well, but just tried to juggle with all the balls, all the different information,” he told the media.

“I probably diverted some attention to thinking about what this means for our team in the long run … But that’s how it’s going to be this year. we’ll have to contend this year, and it’s going to be the same for everyone, so we just have to try to adapt and be able to bounce back from small setbacks like this. ‘

It was Durant’s first appearance as a reserve in his 867 NBA games. He tested positive for the coronavirus earlier in March and has missed all three games of the current season due to Covid-19 protocols.

The Raptors' Pascal Siakam and Chris Boucher defend against Durant.

Durant’s teammate James Harden – who recently joined the team after joining the Houston Rockets – expressed his frustration over the situation.

“We follow the protocols we are tested every day, so I do not understand the whole thing where he could not play, and then he came on a track, and then they took him back,” he told the media said.

“It’s overwhelming, especially when we’re in the middle of a tough game, and these games are going to pick up, especially when we’re talking about the playoffs.”

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The Nets, who now have a 14-10 record, were approved to travel to Philadelphia on Saturday for their game against the 76ers.

According to ESPN, Durant is not traveling with the team for the game and could be lost for several games for the second time in a month.

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