Durant out through All-star game break
NEW YORK - Two games has turned into more than two weeks.
Nets star Kevin Durant’s “mild” left hamstring strain is more severe than originally expected, and Brooklyn, rightfully so, is playing it safe. A routine follow-up MRI determined Durant requires “an additional recovery period” that will keep him out through the March 5-10 NBA All-star break.
If this timeframe holds, Durant will miss nine regular-season games due to this injury, plus the March 7 All-star Game.
“The latest images provided a clearer picture of the hamstring and while we are confident that Durant will return at full strength, this extra recovery time will allow him to perform at the level at which he has been playing this season once he returns,” the Nets said in a statement. “Durant will continue to undergo rehabilitation and will be reassessed following the break.”
The Nets have played well without their superstar forward. They are the hottest team in the league, winners of eight in a row, thanks largely to the James Harden trade that has bolstered a backcourt that already featured star guard Kyrie Irving. Durant only played in one of those games, his first game on the road against the Golden State Warriors since his trade to Brooklyn.
Durant was named Eastern Conference Allstar team captain, hauling in the NBA’S second-most votes behind Lakers star Lebron James. Durant only found out that he would be out through the All-star break on Friday, a league source told the Daily News. NBA commissioner Adam Silver announced Pacers star Domantas Sabonis as Durant’s injury replacement.
Siakam, coaches out due to virus
The Toronto Raptors were without six members of their coaching staff, including head coach Nick Nurse, and starting forward Pascal Siakam for Friday night’s game against Houston in accordance with the NBA’S health and safety protocols regarding the coronavirus.
Assistant coach Sergio Scariolo was promoted to coach the team’s game in Tampa, Florida, against the Rockets. The Raptors said Nurse and the remainder of his staff will continue to work remotely.
Siakam was listed as out about two hours before the game, indicating that he either has a testing issue or a contact tracing issue. He played Wednesday night in a loss to Miami.
Scariolo has extensive experience as a head coach, winning championships of leagues in Italy, Spain and Russia, plus has been Spain’s national coach — helping that team win medals at the 2012 London Games and 2016 Rio de Janiero Olympics, plus capture the Basketball World Cup title in 2019.
After Friday, Toronto will have three games left before the All-star break: games in Tampa against Chicago on Sunday and Detroit on Tuesday, then at Boston on Thursday.
In addition to Nurse and Scariolo, the other coaches on the Raptors’ roster are Adrian Griffin, Jama Mahlalela, Jim Sann and Jon Goodwillie. It was not immediately clear if they all are in the protocols.
WNBA approves Dream acquistion
Former Atlanta Dream guard Renee Montgomery made history on Friday as part of a three-member investor group that was approved to purchase the team.
The ownership change follows pressure on former Sen. Kelly Loeffler, a Republican who angered WNBA players with her opposition to the league’s racial justice initiatives, to sell her share of the Dream.
Real estate investor Larry Gottesdiener was approved as majority owner of the team. The investor group also includes Montgomery and Suzanne Abair, president of Northland Investment Corp. in Massachusetts, the firm Gottesdiener founded.
Montgomery becomes the first former player to become both an owner and executive of a WNBA franchise. She said she would play an active role with Abair in the leadership of the team.