NO BULL: KYRIE DOWN NOW!
Nets take another blow as Irving is elbowed in face in win over Chicago
Three steps forward, two steps back. As James Harden nears his return from a nagging hamstring strain, another member of the Brooklyn Big 3 took a blow on Tuesday.
Nets star Kyrie Irving (facial contusion) took an inadvertent elbow to the face from Chicago’s All-Star big man Nikola Vucevic in the opening minutes of the third quarter of the Nets’ wire-to-wire, 115-107, win over the Bulls on Tuesday. It was a direct blow from elbow to the eye region that sent Irving crashing to the ground, where he covered his face with his jersey and punched the floor before leaving for the rest of the game.
Irving’s X-rays returned inconclusive after the play. He had no signs of a concussion but will need to be re-scanned in the morning.
“I thought he would be alright,” said Kevin Durant. “He mixes it up a lot with the big fellas — so he might catch an elbow here and there. And Kyrie, he plays with such toughness and competitiveness. I knew he’d get up, but I knew he took a nice one, a nice elbow to the face.”
Irving’s injury was a scary diagnosis after he missed training camp and preseason with an orbital fracture two summers when he first signed in Brooklyn. It is unclear whether he will miss additional games after this hit, but the blow from Vucevic was one that could have sent him to the league’s concussion protocol.
Irving’s injury underscored an otherwise impressive performance for the Nets in Chicago. The Nets followed a dominant second half in Denver with an even more impressive start against the Bulls. Brooklyn took a 64-51 lead into the halftime break, tallying 20 assists on 24 made shots through the first two quarters alone.
“The ball was going in, which is always nice, but I thought our pace and intention was there,” said Nets head coach Steve Nash. “The ball doesn’t always go in, but the opportunities were there to convert good looks. So I was really proud of the way they moved it overall and obviously 32 assists and seven turnovers is outstanding.”
It was shortly after that Irving ate that Serbian elbow. He had 13 points and five assists to that point.
Irving wasn’t the only player with facial injuries: Bruce Brown fractured his nose in practice on Monday and had to wear a mask in order to play on Tuesday.
“Kind of unfortunate but normal NBA stuff,” Nash said. “He’s a tough cookie, so we’re not worried about him. Obviously it’s no fun, but he wants to play and is ready to play.”
Brown played through the injury and scored 15 points in the first half alone. He, too, took a shot to the face, a headbutt from Bulls point guard Coby White.
“We’re playing with some urgency,” said Brown postgame. “Teams are gonna play their toughest every night, so we’ve gotta bring it and we’ll be ready.”
Eight Nets players scored in double figures, with veteran guard Mike James posting 11 points, seven rebounds and six assists in Irving’s place. Kevin Durant had a quiet but dominant night: He finished with 21 points and eight assists, but his biggest impact came on the defensive end where he used his length to stretch out for three timely blocks
Tuesday’s matchup had playoff implications: The Bulls are the 11th seed and needed to win three of their final four games to have the best odds at qualifying for the play-in tournament, which gives the ninth and tenth seeds an opportunity to fight for a playoff spot. Ex-Nets guard Garrett Temple made an appearance on the Bulls, chasing down Landry Shamet for a blocked dunk in transition.
The way this game went, it’s lucky Shamet didn’t get injured on that play, either.
The Nets start their last four with a win over the Bulls and face a back-to-back with a matchup looming against the Spurs on Wednesday. Irving’s availability remains in limbo, as has nearly every Nets player’s availability at some point this season.