Will Brooklyn see its "Big Three" back on the floor together before the end of the 2020-21 regular season?
Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving have only played in seven games together since Harden joined the Nets in January. Just when it seemed the stars would finally align for Brooklyn with Harden on his way back to the court, Irving went down with an injury.
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The Nets haven't exactly been struggling, of course, as they own the second-best record in the Eastern Conference (45-24) heading into Wednesday's game against the Spurs. Still, Brooklyn would like to build some chemistry heading into the 2021 NBA playoffs.
Here are the latest updates on Harden and Irving:
Will James Harden play vs. Spurs?
Harden is listed as probable for the Nets' game against the Spurs. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Malika Andrews reported Tuesday night that Harden is expected to "gauge his readiness" with team officials before a final decision is made.
The nine-time All-Star guard hasn't played since suffering a hamstring strain on April 5, missing the Nets' last 18 games. Harden is averaging 25.4 points, 11.0 assists and 8.7 rebounds per game with Brooklyn.
Will Kyrie Irving play vs. Spurs?
Irving is listed as out for the Nets' game against the Spurs. He left Tuesday night's contest against the Bulls after colliding with Chicago center Nikola Vucevic. Brooklyn ruled him out for the rest of that game with a facial contusion.
Kyrie Irving took an inadvertent elbow to the face from Nikola Vucevic and was helped by trainers.
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 12, 2021
He eventually walked to the locker room under his own power. pic.twitter.com/EZoyjHZBJt
Nets coach Steve Nash said there were no signs of a concussion, and the initial X-ray was inconclusive.
"I guess they need a further scan," Nash said during his postgame media availability. "I don't know if it's the swelling or what in the first scan. They said they would have to rescan in the morning."
In his second season with the Nets, Irving is averaging 27.2 points, 6.2 assists and 4.8 rebounds per game while shooting a career-high 50.3 percent from the field.
Nets vs. Spurs injury report
(Current as of 5:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday)
Team | Player | Status | Reason |
Nets | Bruce Brown | Available | Nasal; fracture |
Nets | Chris Chiozza | Out | Right hand; fractured third metacarpal |
Nets | Spencer Dinwiddie | Out | Right knee; partially torn ACL |
Nets | James Harden | Probable | Right hamstring; strain |
Nets | Joe Harris | Out | Left hip; soreness |
Nets | Kyrie Irving | Out | Facial; contusion |
Spurs | Trey Lyles | Questionable | Right ankle; sprain |
Spurs | Derrick White | Out | Right ankle; sprain |