Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant had a bruise on his left thigh in the first quarter against the Miami Heat on Sunday and was ruled out for the rest of the game.
Durant appears to be entangled with Miami’s Trevor Ariza as he drives in the direction of the basket in the first quarter. He left the game and was examined by a coach before returning to the Nets’ locker room.
Durant left the game with just eight points in just over four minutes. He still had to miss off the field.
“We’m pretty used to it,” Nets coach Steve Nash told Israel’s Gutierrez, ESPN. “We threw a lot and we, different lineups. We obviously miss Kevin a lot if he doesn’t play, but we were able to scramble and adjust this year.”
Durant, who has been injured several times this season, returned to the Nets on April 8 after missing almost two months with a right thigh muscle.
The Nets still remain without James Harden, who missed a week-and-a-half with real thigh muscle power. Harden worked in Miami on Saturday and is making progress toward a return, Nash said.
The Nets’ ‘Big Three’ of Durant, Harden and Kyrie Irving has only played seven games together this season.