Nets’ forward Kevin Durant to miss four games due to exposure to COVID-19

The Brooklyn Nets were expected to be strong contenders in the Eastern Conference this season. This sentiment was largely based on the duo of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.

In the first two games of the 2020-21 NBA season, the Nets lived up to the early hype. They blew the doors off against the Golden State Warriors 125-99. Brooklyn followed that up with a 123-95 victory over the Boston Celtics. This was no easy task considering the Celtics were two wins away from a Finals appearance last season.

Unfortunately, the Nets have regressed a bit since their 2-0 start. In fact, Durant and Co. have dropped four of their previous five games. This includes back-to-back losses against the Atlanta Hawks and the Washington Wizards.

But the bad news doesn’t stop there. According to the Athletic’s Shams Charania, Kevin Durant will need to quarantine for the next seven days due to exposure to COVID-19.

Nets star Kevin Durant is expected to require seven days of quarantine before returning to action due to contact tracing/exposure to COVID-19, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 4, 2021

The Nets will play four games during that seven-game stretch. This includes a pair of home games against the Utah Jazz and the Philadelphia 76ers; a road game against the Memphis Grizzlies and another home game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

On one hand, it was inevitable that Kevin Durant was going to miss some games this season given the fact he sat out last year with a torn Achilles. Secondly, the team was already planning to rest him on back-to-backs.

However, Kevin Durant’s absence from the lineup isn’t good news for a Nets’ squad that is already without Spencer Dinwiddie (torn ACL). On top of that, the Nets are currently in ninth place in the conference playoff race, and this upcoming stretch could potentially push them further down in the standings.

Kevin Durant is averaging 28.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 4.8 assists in six appearances for the Nets this season. He is shooting 51.4 percent from the field; 45.5 percent from the 3-point line and 88.5 percent from the charity stripe. He is eligible to return to the rotation on Jan. 12 against the Denver Nuggets.