The banged-up Warriors were without several top players Wednesday night at Barclays Center, but Kyrie Irving also was sidelined for the Nets with right-calf tightness.
Irving had started 14 of the previous 15 games since returning from his eight-game suspension. The lone game he missed was the game the Nets won at Indiana on Dec. 10 despite sitting eight rotation regulars, also including Kevin Durant.
“He’ll come in [Thursday] and get assessed again, but hopefully looking forward to him playing on Friday [against Milwaukee],” coach Jacque Vaughn said after the Nets’ 143-113 victory.
After getting blown out Tuesday night by the Knicks at the Garden, the Warriors were without stars Stephen Curry (shoulder), Andrew Wiggins (adductor) and Klay Thompson (load management). Donte DiVincenzo (non-COVID illness) and JaMychal Green (health and safety protocols) also missed the game.
Kyrie Irving did not play in the Nets’ 143-113 win over the Warriors because of right-calf tightness.Corey SipkinWarriors coach Steve Kerr said that he hopes to convince Durant to consider participating in the 2023 FIBA World Cup next summer. Kerr, who coached Durant with Golden State, is the head coach of Team USA.
“Kevin loves basketball. He loves to play. So I’m really hoping he wants to play the next couple of summers. So we’ll just wait and see,” Kerr said. “He’s been so dominant with Team USA and he’s a guy who just loves to play, so we’re hoping he decides to keep going.”
Durant, who scored 23 points to pass Paul Pierce for 16th on the all-time scoring list, said after the game that he loves playing for his country, but he’s not ready to make that decision.
Kevin Durant, who scored 23 points, shoots a fadeaway jumper during the Nets’ blowout win.Corey SipkinDurant said a Knicks-Nets matchup would have been “a good game on Christmas,” but he admitted his trade demand during the summer likely “probably had something to do with” the Nets not being scheduled to play on the holiday this year.
Nets fans chanted “Draymond punched you” while Jordan Poole was at the foul line in the third quarter, referring to Draymond Green. The Warriors teammates got into a scuffle in practice in October. Poole scored 13 points, shooting 1-for-11 from 3-point range and 4-for-17 overall.
The Nets tied a franchise record with nine players scoring in double figures. They could have had more, but Markieff Morris finished with nine points and Yuta Watanabe had eight. … Patty Mills scored 13 points in 13 minutes after missing the previous two games with a non-COVID illness. … Joe Harris moved back into the starting lineup to replace Irving and had 11 points in 19 minutes.
