Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant was out, then back in, and then back out again all in the same night against the Toronto Raptors.
In a wild turn of events on Friday, Durant was removed from the starting lineup due to health and safety protocols. He was eventually allowed to play late in the first quarter, but after 19 minutes of action, he was officially removed from the game for good.
Sure enough, Nets head coach Steve Nash wasn't too thrilled about losing their leading scorer.
"It's tough to lose Kevin Durant twice in one night."
—Steve Nash to @malika_andrews on the turn of events with KD's availability pic.twitter.com/AxqjWuAyUK
— ESPN (@espn) February 6, 2021
Nash seemed confused just like everybody else, especially since the Nets and Raptors were coming down to the wire.
Durant recorded eight points, six rebounds and five assists before being ruled out for the contest. Now, there's a chance he is also out for the next game against the Eastern Conference-leading Philadelphia 76ers.
The NBA and Nets are still conferring, but it is unlikely Kevin Durant will be traveling with the Nets to Philadelphia for Saturday's game against the 76ers, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 6, 2021
The Nets still have Kyrie Irving and James Harden, but losing Kevin Durant–who is the second-highest scorer in the NBA this season–is a huge blow. After all, the team will need every help it can get against Joel Embiid and the Sixers.
The NBA will have some questions to answer regarding this strange situation, and hopefully, Durant doesn't return a positive test. Nonetheless, the situation is not a good look for the league, especially with all the talk about the All-Star game.
Durant didn't appear too thrilled with the way everything went down, and who can blame him. It remains to be seen what will be his status on Saturday, but things aren't looking really good for the Nets.
Kevin Durant's reaction when told he has to leave the game due to health and safety protocols after being initially cleared by the NBA.pic.twitter.com/ay3uBs2wyE
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) February 6, 2021