Kevin Durant injury update: Nets star to miss additional two games after hamstring strain

On Saturday (Sunday IST), Kevin Durant returned to the Bay Area. The 32-year-old received a warm welcome from the team, also leading the Brooklyn Nets to a 133-117 victory. Forming the league's new big three with James Harden and Kyrie Irving, Durant and the Nets are current favourite title contenders from the Eastern Conference. However, following the Golden State Warriors encounter last weekend, Durant will be missing two games due to his hamstring injury. 

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Kevin Durant injury update

The Nets will be without Durant for two more games this season. As per reports, the Nets announced the news on Sunday (Monday morning IST). While they have games with the Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns lined up, Durant's return remains crucial for the upcoming encounter against the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday (Friday IST). 

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Kevin Durant hamstring injury: When will Kevin Durant come back?

While there is a proper timeline for Durant's return, there is no proper detail about when and how Durant suffered the injury. Durant has already missed three games last week, that too because of COVID-19 protocols set by the league. He returned to play the Golden State Warriors on the weekend. In January too, Durant missed three games because of apparent COVID-19 exposure. 

Following his ejection from the Toronto Raptors game due to COVID-19 exposure, Durant had taken to Twitter to express his disappointment. He asked the league to 'free' him, letting the NBA know that fans are not 'dumb'. 

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Kevin Durant injury history

As per reports, Durant had missed nine games for the Nets – who are currently on a 16-12 record. The two-time NBA champion is also back after a season-long hiatus. During the NBA 2019 Finals, Durant tore his Achilles, which sidelined him for the entire 2019-20 season. 

However, with Durant back, the Nets are now hailed as the new title contenders. The forward has already dusted off any rust, averaging 29 points, 7.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists this season, shooting an impressive 52.4% from the field and 43.4% from the three-point range. 

On Thursday (Friday IST), the Nets will face the defending champions – which will also give fans a Kevin Durant-LeBron James showdown. 

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(Image credits: AP)