Kevin Durant leads the Nets in scoring and shotblocking this season.
The Brooklyn Nets will have forward Kevin Durant back in the mix just as the team embarks on an important road trip.
Durant was back at practice on Friday after missing the Nets’ last three games for coronavirus health and safety protocols. Brooklyn went 1-2 during that stretch and is preparing for a five-game road trip that begins Saturday against one of Durant’s former teams, the Golden State Warriors (8:30 ET, ABC).
Coach Steve Nash told reporters Friday that Durant will be “a full go” against the Warriors and is set to play on the road trip. However, center DeAndre Jordan will not play against Golden State as he will miss the game for personal reasons.
Steve Nash said Kevin Durant will be "a full go" tomorrow against Golden State.
— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) February 12, 2021
Steve Nash said DeAndre Jordan will be out for tomorrow's game against Warriors because of personal reasons.
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) February 12, 2021
Kevin Durant practiced with the Nets today and is set to play on their road trip beginning Saturday at Golden State.
— Brian Mahoney (@briancmahoney) February 12, 2021
Durant was initially held out of the start of the Nets’ game against the Toronto Raptors on Feb. 5, which Brooklyn lost 123-117. He entered the game as a reserve and then had to depart the game in the third quarter to eventually face seven days of quarantine.
Per The Associated Press, Durant drove in a car with a team employee three times last Friday, according to a person with knowledge of the details. The final time was to the arena, where Durant was removed from the starting lineup, later cleared to play and came off the bench for the first time in his career. He was then pulled again in the third quarter of the Nets’ loss.
Both Durant and the employee were seemingly not wearing masks, the person told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because details were not released publicly.
After playing the Warriors on Saturday, Brooklyn faces the Sacramento Kings (Feb. 15), Phoenix Suns (Feb. 16), Los Angeles Lakers (Feb. 18) and LA Clippers (Feb. 21) in a run of games against several playoff-caliber Western Conference foes.
Durant leads the Nets in scoring (29.5 ppg) and ranks second on the team in rebounding (7.4 rpg), third in assists (5.2 apg) and first in blocks (1.4 bpg) while averaging 35.9 minutes per game. Brooklyn is currently the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference, trailing the No. 1 seeded Philadelphia 76ers by 3 1/2 games.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
