The NBA has been applauded for its ability to handle the coronavirus and all the twists and turns that come with it. But Kevin Durant’s publicly played-out courtside withdrawal from Friday’s game didn’t look good for the league.
The Brooklyn Nets superstar voiced his displeasure with the NBA via Twitter since the incident:
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As fate has it, Durant is scheduled to clear NBA’s COVID-19 protocols just in time to face his former Warriors teammates on Saturday in primetime at Chase Center. NBC Sports Bay Area’s Monte Poole explained how Durant needs six consecutive days of negative tests before he can return to the floor.
Assuming Durant can test negative the next few days, the Warriors-Nets matchup should be an absolutely star-studded affair. When they faced off in the season opener, Durant scored 22 points but a lot has changed since then. Now he, Kyrie Irving and James Harden have Brooklyn playing an exciting brand of basketball with the league’s highest-scoring team.
Steph Curry is playing out of his mind at the moment, with Steve Kerr saying Curry is at a higher level than his MVP seasons. Durant probably will be hungry to get back to the floor after being rid of three-plus games while he comes back from his Achilles injury and gets familiar playing as part of Brooklyn’s Big Three.
Golden State Warriors
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Not to mention Warriors rookie James Wiseman, who will likely be back in the lineup by then after taking time off to rest his sprained left wrist.
It all adds up to be a big-time marquee matchup by the Bay, with Durant and Curry front and center.