On Thursday, there is a basketball game going down in New York City between the Atlantic Division winners and the Eastern Conference victors.
Injury updates Boston Celtics – Brooklyn Nets
Despite playing their third game in four nights, the Boston Celtics have performed well in the second game of back-to-back situations this season. The Celtics will have their hands full if Smart is unable to play due to his knee injury, and it won’t help if other players see reduced playing time.
In 39 minutes of action against the Bulls on Monday, Jaylen Brown scored 19 points (7-21 FG, 0-8 3Pt, 5-5 FT), grabbed five boards, dished out three assists, and blocked a shot.
Although he and Jayson Tatum were the only two starters for the Celtics to score in double figures, the bench’s big night from Grant Williams was enough to back up the team’s dynamic duo.
Brown, now 26 years old, is on pace for a career year, averaging 27.5 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 2.7 threes, and 1.2 steals per game since the start of December.
Despite Durant’s absence, the Brooklyn Nets have been dominant of late, winning 18 of their last 20 games. Since they haven’t played since Sunday, the Nets have had more time to recover than Boston, who played Monday and Wednesday before this game. With a healthy rotation and at home, Irving should be able to lead Brooklyn to a victory and close the gap at the top of the conference.
On Monday, doctors confirmed Kevin Durant’s worst fears, saying the superstar had suffered an isolated medial collateral ligament (MCL) sprain in his right knee and would be out for about a month.
The Nets announced that Durant would be reevaluated in two weeks after he suffered an injury in the third quarter of Sunday’s 102-101 victory over the Heat. Although the team has not officially confirmed the one-month estimate.
- See more: The latest injury update Kevin Durant
Fantasy owners should be prepared for the possibility that the 34-year-old will be sidelined until the middle of February, when the NBA schedule takes a break for the All-Star break, even if the results of the re-evaluation at the end of the month are favorable, because Durant will still need a period of adjustment before he can play at his normal level again.
A sprained MCL in Durant’s left knee forced him to miss the first six games of the 2021-22 season, but the injury to his right knee isn’t nearly as serious.
