Feb 2, 2021; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets power forward Kevin Durant (7) controls the ball against Los Angeles Clippers small forward Kawhi Leonard (2) during the first quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant was held out of the starting lineup for Friday’s game against the Toronto Raptors due to health and safety protocols.
The Nets did not announce Durant was being held out of the starting lineup until moments before tip-off as they waited for contact tracing to conclude. Durant entered the game as a reserve in the first quarter, the first time in 867 career regular-season games he did not start.
However, after Durant played 19 minutes and scored eight points with six rebounds and five assists, the Nets pulled him for the rest of the night, per The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
Durant, who tested positive for the coronavirus in March, missed three games Jan. 5-8 due to COVID-19 protocols.
In his first season with Brooklyn after recovering from a torn Achilles, Durant is averaging 30.8 points on 53.3 percent shooting. It is Durant’s second-highest scoring average, only behind his 32 points in 2013-14 for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
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–Field Level Media