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The Brooklyn Nets all of a sudden find themselves in dire straits after two consecutive losses and an ankle injury to Kyrie Irving. Once in a comfortable position up 2-0 even without James Harden, it now looks like the Nets will play a pivotal Game 5 back at home without both Harden and Irving with the series tied at 2-2.
SNY’s Ian Begley says that while X-rays came back negative on Irving’s right ankle after his nasty-looking injury on Sunday, there’s a good chance the ailment is severe enough for him to miss Tuesday night’s Game 5. ESPN’s Rachel Nichols and The Athletic’s Alex Schiffer reported Sunday that Irving left Fiserv Forum on crutches while wearing a walking boot.
Meanwhile, Nets head coach Steve Nash admitted before Sunday’s Game 4 that Harden still had a “gap to make up” before being able to return to the court from his hamstring injury. After the Irving injury, Nash said Brooklyn had no intention of rushing Harden back to make up for a potential Kyrie absence.
Begley notes the Nets want to see Harden make it few several high-intensity days of practice first before clearing him to play. While he’s doing some on-court work, it’s unclear if he’s actually doing the work needed to be ready to play. At this point, it’s safe to assume Harden won’t be ready for Game 5, but nothing has been confirmed yet.
If Irving and Harden both miss Game 5, that means Kevin Durant is going to need to step up and have a monster game against a Bucks team that suddenly has all the momentum after looking dead in the water not long ago. However, Durant is also going to need some help from his teammates, unless Milwaukee just totally lays an egg.
It’s going to be a fascinating Game 5 as this series now could go either way.