In the aftermath of the Nets’ fourth-quarter meltdown in a 123-117 loss to the Raptors Friday night at Barclays Center, coach Steve Nash said the night’s events were dizzying for him. Because of COVID19 medical protocols and contact tracing, Kevin Durant was held out of the starting lineup, then allowed to play 19 minutes and finally was removed in the third quarter when the person he contacted earlier Friday afternoon tested positive for the virus.
It didn’t matter that Durant himself tested negative three times within a 24-hour period. His contact with someone who tested positive was enough to get him pulled and to keep him from traveling with the Nets to Philadelphia for a game against the 76ers on Saturday night. Adding to the Nets’ woes, Kyrie Irving (sprained right index finger) was ruled out, too.
“My head’s spinning a little bit from all the parameters of Kevin’s situation,” Nash said, “but also trying to coach our team in a shifting landscape.”
Following the Raptors game, many of the Nets (14-10) were perplexed regarding the nature of how Durant’s situation was handled. Joe Harris said the most important thing was for everyone to move on and get ready for a tough back-to-back at the home of the Eastern Conference-leading 76ers (16-7).
“The frustration and all that stuff is there because now Kevin probably is going to have to . . . I am assuming it’s going to be the same thing he had last time where he had to sit for a week. It is tough, and it [stinks] for him, too. I mean, the guy doesn’t even have positive tests.”
Harris was referring to a one-week stretch in early January that Durant spent in quarantine, missing three games after coming in contact with an associate who tested positive for the virus. Durant contracted the virus last March but has not tested positive since then.
At a time when the Nets’ Big 3 of Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving was building momentum, Durant’s loss threw another monkey wrench into the works.
“It’s definitely a major blow,” veteran center Jeff Green said of Durant being yanked in and out of the lineup against the Raptors. “It makes no sense. But it was ‘next man up,’ as we say. It’s just tough. The whole flow just wasn’t right with us, how they handled the situation.”
Harden expressed concern about what Durant’s absence might mean in the larger playoff picture. “These games are going to add up, especially if we are talking about playoff seeding,” Harden said. “We’re talking about positioning ourselves, homecourt advantage and catching a rhythm and all that. I don’t know, I don’t know.”
