Kyrie Irving may not play for the rest of the Bucks series
The Nets are preparing to be without guard Kyrie Irving (right ankle sprain) for the rest of the series, sources said. The team hasn’t officially ruled Irving out beyond Game 5.
Kyrie Irving Rumors
All NBA Players
Position: G
Born: 03/23/92
Height: 6-2 / 1.88
Weight:180 lbs. / 81.6 kg.
Salary: $33,460,350
Born: 03/23/92
Height: 6-2 / 1.88
Weight:180 lbs. / 81.6 kg.
Salary: $33,460,350
Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo headline All-NBA teams
Shams Charania: 2020-21 All-NBA teams: First: Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Stephen Curry, Luka Doncic, Kawhi Leonard Second: Chris Paul, Damian Lillard, Joel Embiid, Julius Randle, LeBron James Third: Kyrie Irving, Bradley Beal, Rudy Gobert, Jimmy Butler, Paul George
Ajayi Browne: “The Kyrie (Irving) injury really took wind out of our guys.” ⁃Steve Nash on Game 4.
Midway through the second quarter of Sunday’s loss, Irving landed on the foot of Antetokounmpo after going up for a shot and turned his right ankle. Irving immediately went down in pain and held his right leg. On ABC, Jalen Rose said Antetokounmpo should be given a flagrant foul retroactively by the NBA for not moving out from underneath Irving. “I wouldn’t want to go inside Giannis’ head and make any proclamations,” Nash said over Zoom on Monday. “I thought it was an awkward play. I know he ended up getting under Kyrie while he was in the air. I think it would be a big stretch for me to sit here and say he meant to do that in any way. I don’t believe that’s the type of person he is, nor is what I believe happened. It was awkward and unfortunate.”
Thomas is hoping that Irving shrugs it off this week better than he did during his quick turnaround 33 years ago. The former Knicks president and coach, and current owner of Cheurlin Champagne, sees in Irving an old-soul artist who plays a game that most modern-day stars don’t play. “Kyrie is an original who has created his own lane,” Thomas said. “He’s an outlier like I was, like Magic and Oscar [Robertson] were, guys who had their own style and then others come behind them and replicate it. Kyrie plays jazz with the basketball.”
