By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Brooklyn Nets just suffered a huge blow after superstar Kevin Durant was diagnosed with a sprained medical collateral ligament (MCL) on his left knee.
Durant got the injury during their dominating 120-105 win against the New Orleans Pelicans in the 5:44 mark of the second quarter.
Pelicans’ Herbert Jones went straight down the lane that caused the defending Bruce Brown to backpedal and eventually hit Durant’s left knee.
After the incident, Durant immediately wobbled in pain, rubbed his left knee, and requested head coach Steve Nash to call a timeout.
The six-foot-nine sniper didn’t hesitate to walk past his teammates and have his knee checked in the locker room with the Nets leading 52-27.
Durant was waxing hot and was bound for another monster game before the injury occurred when he finished with 12 points, three rebounds, and two assists in just one quarter-and-a-half of action.
Brooklyn is currently trying to get back into their own track with the return of star point guard Kyrie Irving who missed the first months due to his COVID-19 vaccination status.
With Durant out for most likely 4-6 weeks as reported by ESPN, a heavy load on the offense will again be shouldered by James Harden and Irving who will seek to lead the Nets to a strong finish before the All-Star break.
Brooklyn is currently sitting at the no. 2 spot of the Eastern Conference with a 27-15 win-loss record behind the Chicago Bulls with a 27-14 record.
