Kevin Durant injury update: Nets PF out of All-Star game with hamstring problem

On Friday, the Brooklyn Nets announced that Kevin Durant will remain out until after the All-Star break due to a left hamstring strain he suffered earlier this month. The two-time NBA champion is now unable to feature in the NBA All-Star game 2021, which takes place on March 7 at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta. Durant was named one of two All-Star team captains alongside Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James earlier this month. However, it was later confirmed that Indiana Pacers forward Domantas Sabonis would replace the injured 32-year-old Nets star. 

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Kevin Durant injury update: Nets star to miss All-Star game

Earlier this week, Nets head coach Steve Nash had claimed that Kevin Durant would be back for one of the team's games prior to the All-Star Break. However, following a routine MRI on his left hamstring, the Nets have confirmed that Durant will require additional time to recover, though the Eastern Conference giants remain confident that the 11-time NBA All-Star will be back at full strength after the mid-March break. If he's available for the Nets' first game following the All-Star break, Durant will make his return on March 11 against the Boston Celtics — nearly a full month after re-aggravating a hamstring injury. 

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Durant sustained his injury during the game against the Warriors on February 13 and has missed each of the team's last six games but they have gone 6-0 in his absence. Durant, who missed the entirety of the 2019-20 season while rehabbing his right Achilles, has played in 19 of a possible 34 games for the Nets this season, missing time due to rest, the league's health and safety protocols and this most recent hamstring injury.

The Nets will host the Dallas Mavericks before travelling to Texas to take on the San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets prior to the NBA All-Star game. Nash had previously insisted that Durant's injury wasn't a long-term injury and that his return to the Nets won't be too long. 

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Through 19 games this season, Durant is averaging a stellar 29 points, 7.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists while shooting 52.4 per cent from the field, 43.4 per cent from the 3-point range and 86.9 per cent from the stripe. Durant has played in only seven games this season alongside James Harden and Kyrie Irving. With 22 wins this campaign, the Nets are in second place on the Eastern Conference table. 

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Image Credits - Nets Instagram