The showdown between the Nets and Philadelphia 76ers will have a few amendments.
Yes, the battle for the top spot is still very much a thing. Both teams head into Wednesday night’s matchup tied for the number one seed in the Eastern Conference. If there’s a tie-breaker needed at the end of the season, this is the game which will decide who gets it.
Sounds like a game where it’s all hands on deck. Well, for the Nets, that’s not quite the case.
Brooklyn will be without several key players for this game, Kevin Durant is one of those players.
Durant, after dropping 31 points in 27 minutes on the Minnesota Timberwolves , will not play against Philadelphia. The Nets are cautiously ramping up Durant’s minutes as he continues his return from a hamstring injury.
Once Brooklyn’s game in Minnesota was postponed from Monday night to Tuesday afternoon, it put Wednesday up in the air for playing Durant in a back-to-back situation.
Blake Griffin and LaMarcus Aldridge are also out against the Sixers. Griffin, dealing with a left knee issue, is taking an injury management day. Aldridge will miss his second straight game with a non-COVID illness.
Brooklyn will also be without guards Chris Chiozza and Tyler Johnson (right knee soreness). Chiozza had hand surgery on Wednesday to repair a fractured right finger. He sustained the injury against the Timberwolves.
And there’s James Harden — he’ll continue to sit out as he works his way back from a right hamstring strain.
Big game, but bigger picture ahead for Nets
There’s no Durant or Harden for this game. There’s not even Griffin or Aldridge. But there’s one big name on the Nets’ roster available to play, and that’s Kyrie Irving. The superstar guard missed the Minnesota game while tending to personal matters.
The Nets have been playing shorthanded most of this season. It’s familiar territory for them, however, they’ve shown resiliency. Don’t be surprised if Irving steps up again and has a big game.
Sitting Durant in such a big game as this one clearly indicates Brooklyn looking towards the bigger picture of having their roster healthy as possible heading into the postseason.
