Duke basketball star Kyrie Irving is seeing his NBA Championship hopes quickly fading.
As the NBA Playoffs began, it felt like former Duke basketball star Kyrie Irving was weeks away from his second NBA Championship. But now, the title hopes for the Brooklyn Nets could be fading quickly.
After finishing off his former team, the Boston Celtics, in five games, Irving and the Nets saw All-Star James Harden re-injure his hamstring, the same one that plagued him at the end of the regular season, in the opening minute of Game 1 against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Despite missing Harden, the Nets dismantled the Bucks in the first two games of the series before the two teams struggled offensively as Milwaukee won its first home game of the series.
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However, after the Nets jumped out to an early double-digit lead in Game 4, Irving landed on the foot of Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo after attempting a layup and severely twisted his ankle.
Kyrie Irving twists the ankle of his after landing on Giannis's foot and comes out the game into the locker room. 🙏 #NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/BIgPGqjARv
— 𝓩𝓪𝓬𝓱𝓣𝓱𝓮𝓜𝓪𝓷 🏀🏈⚾️ (@ZachTheSpursFan) June 13, 2021
The former Blue Devil missed the remainder of the game as Milwaukee tied the series, and ESPN’s Rachel Nichols reported that Irving was seen in a walking boot and on crutches leaving the arena on Sunday night.
Duke basketball superstar could miss extended time
Nets head coach Steve Nash ruled Kyrie Irving out for Tuesday’s game on Monday along with James Harden.
Through nine games in this postseason, Irving was averaging 22.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.0 steals per game while shooting 47.2-percent from the field and 36.9-percent from 3-point range.
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Kyrie Irving was at the center of controversy earlier in the NBA Playoffs after he stomped on the Boston Celtics mid-court logo after dropping 39 points in a Game 4 victory but had a water bottle thrown at him as he was leaving the floor.
Game 5 between the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks is scheduled for 8:30pm EST (TNT) on Tuesday, June 15 from the Barclays Center.