On December 25, Beijing time, the Nets officially announced the team's injury list for tomorrow's game with the Lakers, and a total of 7 people in the team triggered the health and safety agreement to be isolated, these 7 people are Durant, Aldridge, Duke, Edwards, Irving, Sharp and Thomas. Coupled with injury-plagued Joe Harris, the Nets will have 8 players unable to play. That means Durant won't qualify for this season's year-end battle.
The year-end war is the highlight of the regular season every year, and the most watched tomorrow is the net and lakers. The league has postponed the Nets' last three games to ensure that the year-end game can be smoothly played. However, the plan could not keep up with the change, and Durant was never able to return to the team on time. Six of the stars will miss the year-end battle this year, with Durant, Irving, Doncic and Trae Young all absent due to quarantine.
Originally, this was Durant's first year-end battle after a gap of 3 years, and the last time it would have to go back to 18 years, when he still played for the Warriors, and the opponent also happened to be the Lakers. That year's year-end battle was also the pinnacle showdown between James and Durant, which ended with the Lakers winning the Warriors. I thought that the drama of three years ago would be staged again, but I did not expect Durant to be unable to play, which inevitably made fans feel some regrets.
It is worth mentioning that since Durant joined the Nets, he has had 6 opportunities to compete with James, but these 6 matches between the two sides have been perfectly avoided by some serendipitous factors. The last time the two men fought was an 18-year year-end battle, which meant that the two had not competed on the field for three years.
In the 19-20 season, the Nets played two games at home and away and against the Lakers, and Durant could not play because of the season reimbursement;
In the 20-21 season, the Nets challenged the Lakers on the road, and Durant missed due to a damaged left hamstring;
In the 20-21 season, the Nets played at home against the Lakers, and James was absent due to a sprained right ankle;
In the 20-21 season, All-Star Weekend, Durant and James served as East and West Captains respectively, the former only participating in the selection process due to injury;
In the 21-22 season, the Nets' year-end battle with the Lakers on the road, Durant triggered a health and safety agreement was quarantined.
As two of the best players in the league, the meeting between Durant and James can always cause endless topics and trigger many hot spots. With Durant out of the lineup, the year-end battle between the Nets and the Lakers is inevitably a little less interesting. The good news is that Harden can make a comeback in time for tomorrow's year-end battle to play head-on with his old teammate Westbrook on the court. Whether Harden leads the team to win, or whether James and Westbrook join forces to end the losing streak, let us wait and see.
After tomorrow's game, the next showdown between the Nets and the Lakers will be held on the morning of January 26 next year, Beijing time, when the Lakers will challenge the Nets away. Can the long-awaited duel between Durant and James be staged? Everything is still unknown.
(Text/Yuwen Basketball)