NEW YORK – Kyrie Irving will not play the Brooklyn Nets game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday. He left for personal reasons, the team announced.
The Nets will also not have LaMarcus Aldridge, who is listed in a non-coronavirus-related disease. James Harden was diagnosed with a right hamstring strain last week and will not make the trip to Minnesota. Kevin Durant, who recently returned from a hamstring strain that kept him out for two months, will likely stay on Monday with a minute restriction.
Irving has already missed several games for the Nets this season, playing 38 of Brooklyn’s 53 games. Irving has missed four games to maintain injuries this season. He also missed two weeks in January for personal reasons. During this time off the team, he broke the league’s coronavirus safety and health protocols, further delaying his return to the game’s action. Irving was fined for not following the league’s COVID-19 rules. When he returned to the team, he told reporters he “just needed a break.”
Irving lost three games in late March while attending a family affair.
Irving was ejected from Saturday’s 126-101 loss in Los Angeles after a back-and-forth with Lakers guard Dennis Schroder. It was the first professional expulsion for both Schroder and Irving, according to an ESPN Stats & Information investigation.
Irving averages 27.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and six assists per game.