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Kevin Durant missed his first game of the season Friday with a right shoulder sprain, which is as believable as it is fitting, considering he’s been carrying Brooklyn over the season’s first month.

Durant’s first absence of the season brings into stark relief the dilemma the Nets face, especially without the unvaccinated Kyrie Irving for the foreseeable future. Do they ride Durant and James Harden hard during the regular season to eke out wins now, or spare them to get victories later?

Straddling a razor’s edge is always dangerous.