Brooklyn Nets Announce Kevin Durant Out with a Knee Sprain

The Brooklyn Nets announced that the knee injury Kevin Durant suffered on Saturday against the New Orleans Pelicans was a sprained MCL in his left knee.

Brooklyn expects the two-time Finals MVP to be out for a four-six-week rehab period. ESPN reports that the Nets are setting a ‘realistic benchmark’ of Durant returning by the end of the Nets’ All-Star break on Feb. 24

The Nets play 11 of their next 19 games on the road, clearing the way for Kyrie Irving and James Harden to test themselves as a backcourt and lead the Nets to take on a heavy workload and work on their chemistry while Durant is absent. Without Durant, the Nets won 16 of 19 games last season when they had Irving and Harden together per ESPN Stats & Information.

Durant is a significant threat to win the MVP this season, averaging a League-leading 29.3 points, grabbing 7.4 rebounds, and dishing out 5.8 assists per game.

The Nets are second in the East at 27-15 as of Sunday, sitting a half-game behind the Chicago Bulls (27-14) for first place in the rejuvenated Eastern Conference.