The Nets have all downplayed Kevin Durant’s sore shoulder. They may not be so lucky with Joe Harris’ ankle.
While Durant didn’t appear on the Nets’ injury report and is expected to suit up Tuesday against his former Golden State team, Harris has already been ruled out with a left ankle sprain.
Harris was forced out of Sunday’s lopsided win in Oklahoma City with 3:05 left in the first half and didn’t return. Now it’s unclear when he will.
Losing Harris at any point would be significant, but having him miss time now would be particularly galling. Following a slow start from 3-point range, shooting just 16 of 46 (34.8 percent), he’d gotten red-hot over the past two weeks. Harris is 25 of 42 from deep in his past eight games.
If Harris is out, Patty Mills could fill that void.
Kevin Durant was not listed on the injury report, but Joe Harris was ruled out of Tuesday’s game with a left ankle sprain. Getty Images“That’s the beauty of what we have here,” Mills said. “We’re obviously so deep and there’s a lot of people that we have that can fill roles and fill shoes; and that’s going to come into play at the end of the season.
“Just being able to protect the group in that sense of understanding that everyone’s got a piece to play here. So no matter who it is, I think everyone being engaged and being able to step up and fill those minutes. But at the end of the day, we want to be healthy and we want everyone to play.”
Mills snapped out a slump Sunday with 29 points on a career-high 9-for-12 shooting from 3-point range. It was the most 3s off the bench in Nets history or in the league this season.
Durant and the Nets have dismissed concerns over his right shoulder.
“It’s solid. A little sore here and there, but I played, didn’t get in the way too much,” Durant said. “Keep getting treatment and take it a day at a time.”
Despite not being listed on the injury report, Durant has been bothered by it for the past three games. He grabbed at it Sunday after missing a dunk, but stayed in the game and scored 33 points.
“He’s got a little tweak. But the ball still goes in the hole, so I think he’s hanging in there,” Nash said. “I don’t think it’s the type of thing that we expect to get worse, so he’s kind of playing through it so it’s not terrible.”
Nic Claxton (non-COVID illness) and Paul Millsap (personal reasons) are both out Tuesday, as are two-way players David Duke Jr. and Kessler Edwards, both on G-League assignments. But after missing Sunday’s win for personal reasons, Day’Ron Sharpe has been removed from the injury list and is available.
Tuesday marks a homecoming for Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson. The Long Island native was the head coach of the Nets for four seasons, from 2016 through March 2020, relieved just before the pandemic shut down the season.
