Kyrie Irving is set to miss a third straight game, as he was ruled out for Wednesday's game against the Charlotte Hornets, according to Malika Andrews of ESPN. Brooklyn Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson announced his status a day in advance, likely hinting a prolonged absence due to a shoulder ailment.

Atkinson had trotted Irving for Thursday's game against the Denver Nuggets, but Irving looked less than 100%, clearly bothered by the injury. Irving sat out on Saturday against the Chicago Bulls and on Monday against the Pacers, with the coach noting the organization will be prudent with his recovery.

“I know he wasn’t 100 percent going into the Denver game [Thursday],” said Atkinson on Monday. “We all knew that. But he played through it, and the returns obviously [Saturday] morning weren’t great. So I think it’s a smart thing, it’s a prudent thing to do. And we’ll see going forward what it looks like.”

The Nets managed to win against the struggling Chicago Bulls but lost by 29 points to the Pacers. Spencer Dinwiddie has done a sublime job filling in for Irving, putting up 24 and 28 points in the last two outings.

Brooklyn doesn't have much depth at the guard position besides Garrett Tample and Joe Harris, who is playing small forward while Taurean Prince mans the power forward slot. The Nets recently recalled Rodions Kurucs from the Long Island Nets of the G League, given the slew of injuries they've faced as of late.

Despite getting DeAndre Jordan back recently, the Nets will be without Caris LeVert for a while, as well as Wilson Chandler, who is still only midway through his 25-game suspension. Add Irving to that list and the Nets are scrambling to find able bodies to take the court.