Just over 24 hours before their showdown with the defending champions, the Brooklyn Nets listed Kevin Durant as out for their game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday, according to ESPN's Malika Andrews.
This would be Durant's third straight game missed due to a left hamstring strain, having previously missed games in Sacramento and Phoenix - both of which the Nets won.
The largest halftime deficit ever erased in Nets history.
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) February 17, 2021
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He last played on the team's first game of the road trip against the Golden State Warriors, in his first return to the Bay.
Meanwhile, his teammate Kyrie Irving, who also missed the game in Phoenix, is listed as probable against the Lakers.
Kyrie Irving (lower back tightness) is listed as probable against the Lakers on Thursday.
— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) February 17, 2021
The team's three biggest superstars in Durant, Irving and James Harden have only played seven games together since acquiring Harden from the Houston Rockets midway through January.
Of the three, Durant's been the player with the most missed games - 11 of 30 - as he was forced to sit a couple of times due to the NBA's health and safety protocols'.
The Nets bring their 18-12 record and put their four-game win streak on the line against the Lakers at the STAPLES Center.
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