Nets lose Kyrie for a week with knee sprain

NEW YORK, USA – Brooklyn Nets star guard Kyrie Irving will be sidelined for at least a week after an MRI exam on Sunday, February 2, revealed the extent of a right knee injury, the NBA club announced.

Irving suffered a medial ligament sprain in his right knee, the MRI revealed, sidelining him until a scheduled re-evaluation in one week.

The injury came in the 4th quarter of the Nets 113-107 loss to the Washington Wizards.

He became tangled with Bradley Beal in a tussle for the ball before Beal fell awkwardly on the outside of Irving’s right leg.

The Nets star finished with 11 points, his lowest total in a game this season.

In 20 games this season, Irving has averaged 27.4 points, 6.4 assists, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.4 steals a game for the Nets.

He has already missed a career-high 28 games this season, 26 of them with a right shoulder injury, another with a strained hamstring, and one to mourn the death last weekend of retired Los Angeles Lakers icon Kobe Bryant.

The latest injury will see Irving miss Nets home games on Monday against the Phoenix Suns and Wednesday against the Golden State Warriors as well as a game on Saturday at Toronto against the Raptors.

After his re-evaluation next Sunday, Irving could return as early as February 10 against the Indiana Pacers

At 21-27, the Nets rank 7th in the Eastern Conference in the penultimate playoff position but 4 other clubs are within 5 games to challenge them over the final two months of the campaign. – Rappler.com