Kevin Durant supports Kyrie Irving's 'personal leave', claims Nets back him 100%

Kevin Durant has sounded his support to fellow teammate Kyrie Irving after the Brooklyn Nets star missed his third successive game due to personal reasons. Irving had opted out of the game against Philadelphia 76ers just hours before tip-off and proceeded to miss the games against the Grizzlies and OKC Thunder. And while Brooklyn have won only one of their three games in his absence, the Nets remain committed to supporting him. 

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Kyrie Irving personal leave: Kevin Durant sounds out support for Nets teammate 

Kevin Durant returned to the Brooklyn Nets after a week of quarantine on Sunday night, and while he couldn't inspire them to a win, he did make his mark with a season-best performance. And while Steve Nash's side missed Kyrie Irving's presence on the court, Kevin Durant was in full support of his teammate while speaking to the media after the loss against OKC Thunder. The former Golden State Warriors player said, “I wouldn’t speak for Kyrie, I’ll let him do that for himself. I’m sure you guys will see him soon after he comes back. We support him 100% and pray for the best".

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Kevin Durant made a starling return putting up a season-high 36 points to go along with 11 rebounds and 4 assists on Sunday night in the Nets' 116-129 defeat to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The 32-year-old is averaging 29.3 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game this season. Sunday night's haul was his sixth straight game in which he netted more than 25 points, the longest streak by a Nets player since Deron Williams in 2011-12 when the team was still in New Jersey.

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Why is Kyrie Irving not playing? 

The Brooklyn Nets announced that star guard Kyrie Irving was out against the 76ers for personal reasons on Thursday and head coach Steve Nash reportedly hadn’t heard from the All-Star leading up to tip-off.  Many have speculated that his personal reasons concern the breach at the US Capitol last week. Irving had also taken a day off after the tragic death of Lakers legend Kobe Bryant last year. While his teammates and staff are supportive of his decision, the team has gone 1-2 in Kyrie’s absence and has fallen behind in the standings as they are now 10th place in the East. 

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(Image Courtesy: Brooklyn Nets Twitter)