MIAMI — The Nets won a game Sunday but lost their star. Kevin Durant was forced out of this 102-101 Pyrrhic victory over the Heat with a right knee injury.
Durant didn’t return and the severity of the injury is unknown. But if his absence turns out to be extended, it could prove catastrophic for the red-hot Nets.
Royce O’Neale’s put-back with three seconds to play and Jimmy Butler’s missed layup on the other end sealed the result for the Nets. But all any Brooklyn fans will be talking about — and obsessing over — is Durant’s health.
The Nets came into Sunday’s game having won 19 of their last 21, largely on the back of a superb Durant. He has only rested once this season, and hasn’t missed a single game due to injury. That streak is in danger, with their next game coming at home on Thursday against the Eastern Conference-leading Celtics, the only team in the league with a better record than Brooklyn.
The injury occurred when Miami’s Butler had his shot blocked by Ben Simmons with 1:05 left in the third, and fell awkwardly into Durant’s knee.
Durant was down for several seconds in discomfort, before being helped to his feet. He tried to stay on the floor, and play through the pain. But the Brooklyn star turned the ball over on the next possession, and looked to be massaging his knee on defense on the ensuing trip back downcourt.
The Nets took a timeout down 80-79 with 36.6 seconds left in the third quarter. Durant didn’t take the court after play resumed, heading down the tunnel for evaluation and treatment. He didn’t return.
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Losing Durant for any length of time would be catastrophic for Brooklyn. He sprained his MCL on January 15 of last season and did not return until March 3. The Nets went 5-16, including dropping 11 straight. That lack of fight in his absence contributed to his offseason trade request.
Brooklyn (27-13) did at least show fight Sunday.
The Nets trailed 101-100 with the last shot, and Kyrie Irving (game-high 29 points) inexplicably heaved up a 30-foot attempt with 5.5 seconds left. It missed, but O’Neale snaked in for the offensive rebound and scored on a put-back jumper with 3.2 seconds left.
Down 60-56 after Butler’s free throws with 2:24 left in the half, Brooklyn nosed ahead with a 10-2 spurt. In this nip-and-tuck, back-and-forth affair that amounted to a game-changing blitz.
The Nets followed a Yuta Watanabe corner 3-pointer with a seven more points by Irving. His 26-foot pull-up put the Nets ahead 66-62 with 4.6 seconds left in the half.
Miami edged ahead 77-76 late in the third before a Durant 3-pointer. Before he was forced out, Durant had 17 points.
The Nets sit a game behind Eastern Conference-leading Boston, and are 1 ½ ahead of third-place Milwaukee.
