According to Chris Haynes of TNT and Yahoo Sports, Kyrie Irving, who paced the Nets with 28 points Sunday in their win against Washington, will not accompany Brooklyn on its upcoming three-game road trip.
Irving is said to be tending to a family matter. While that may be true, you can understand why some would be skeptical of Irving’s sudden departure, particularly with the All-Star celebrating his 29th birthday on Tuesday. If you recall, Irving left the Nets under similar circumstances earlier this year, only to be spotted, mask-less, at his sister’s birthday party. The NBA considered that a violation of COVID protocols, resulting in additional missed time and a $50,000 fine, the maximum allowed under the league’s collective bargaining agreement. That’s not to say Kyrie was off playing hooky during his seven-game reprieve in January, though his extended absence at a time when the Nets were struggling certainly raised eyebrows.
Regardless, Irving won’t be making the trip west for Brooklyn’s three-game road swing. With Kevin Durant (hamstring) also on the shelf, James Harden will take on more of the scoring load for Brooklyn as the Nets travel to Portland, Utah and Detroit later this week. Harden, who was clearly dogging it with Houston early in the year, has averaged an electric 25.4 points, 11.3 assists and 8.8 rebounds per game since joining the Nets in mid-January. Overall, the Nets are 3-4 in the games they’ve played without Durant and Irving this year.
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