Kevin Durant to miss time with left knee sprain

Brooklyn Nets superstar Kevin Durant was diagnosed with a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee, the team announced on Sunday.

He is out indefinitely after suffering the injury late in the second quarter of Brooklyn’s 120-105 win over the Pelicans, Saturday night at Barclays Center.

Following an MRI this morning, Kevin Durant was diagnosed with a sprained medial collateral of the left knee. Durant is expected to return to full strength following a period of rehabilitation. Updates regarding his return will be provided as appropriate.

— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) January 16, 2022

Durant was hurt when teammate Bruce Brown bumped into a driving Herbert Jones and fell backward into him. The 11-time All-Star grabbed at his knee, tried to walk it off and then asked to be removed from the game. The Nets announced at halftime that Durant wouldn’t return.

#Nets leading the #Pelicans in Brooklyn at halftime, 69-41. 🏀

Kevin Durant, however, limping to the locker room with an apparent knee injury.

(🎥: Bleacher Report) pic.twitter.com/um6y6MZFwh

— 𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐄𝐱𝐭𝐫𝐚 (@Baseline_Extra) January 16, 2022

Brooklyn entered Saturday’s games in third place in the Eastern Conference, just two back in the loss column from first-place Chicago. Losing Durant is a body blow to the team and league.

The MVP candidate is averaging averaging a league-leading 29.7 points, 7.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists while shooting 52% from the field.