Kevin Durant will miss at least two games for the Brooklyn Nets with a left hamstring strain, the team announced on Sunday.
Brooklyn called the species mild, but said in a statement that Durant will face Sacramento Monday and Phoenix Tuesday while undergoing treatment.
Durant played his first game in a week on Saturday. He was placed in the competition’s health and safety protocols on Feb. 5 after being in close contact with a team member who tested positive for the coronavirus. Durant returned to practice on February 12 and played 33 minutes in the victory over Golden State Warriors on Saturday.
The Nets’ Big Three of Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving have only played seven games together since Harden was traded to Brooklyn in mid-January. That total of seven games includes the game earlier this month against Toronto, which saw Durant drawn in the third quarter and placed in the league’s contact tracking protocols.
Durant said Friday he hoped to use the Nets’ five-game West Coast road trip to continue the on-field chemistry with his new teammates. Now freshman head coach Steve Nash is tasked with rearranging a squad that has already seen 17 different starting lineups – equal to the Wizards for most in the league this season, according to research by ESPN Stats & Information.
As a result of an Achilles tendon that has cost him all season, Durant has averaged 29 points, 7.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists for Brooklyn this season. He’s missed nine of the Nets’ 28 games this season; Brooklyn is 2-2 without him since trading for Harden last month.
DeAndre Jordan, who missed Saturday’s game for personal reasons, is listed as likely to return on the Nets’ injury report for Monday’s game against the Kings.