Nets star forward Kevin Durant is expected to sit out of the upcoming All-Star Game in Cleveland as he continues to rehab a sprained MCL, according to Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes.
Durant has not played since Jan. 15, when he sustained the injury in the second quarter of Brooklyn's eventual 120–105 win against New Orleans and left the game.
The Nets did not provide a specific timeline regarding Durant's return when they provided an official update; however, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported at the time that there was optimism within the Nets that Durant will be out between four and six weeks with the injury.
Through 36 games, Durant is currently averaging 29.3 points, 7.4 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game.
The Nets, after dropping Tuesday night's contest vs. the Lakers, are now No. 3 in the East, a half game behind the Bulls and one game behind the top-seeded Heat.
As a result of his MCL injury, Durant is also set to miss his second consecutive All-Star Game. He sat out the 2021 one in Atlanta rehabbing an ankle injury.
This year's All-Star Game is set for Feb. 20 in Cleveland.
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The NBA announced Tuesday that the annual game between top rookies and sophomores in the league, which takes place Friday night of All-Star weekend each year, will have an entirely new format. Instead of two teams evenly split between rookies and sophomores, there will now be four seven-man teams, made up of a combination of 12 rookies, 12 sophomores and four G League Ignite players.
