Unconsciously, the 2021-22 NBA schedule has passed more than half, and the Brooklyn Nets are not as high as the fans expected in the East, but have been stolen by the Chicago Bulls, who are temporarily ranked first in the East with a record of 27 wins and 11 losses, and the Nets are second in the East with a record of 24 wins and 14 losses. The difference is two wins, while the third-place Milwaukee Bucks are just 0.5 wins away from the Nets. Today's East can be said to be a sudden change, and no one can say which team will rush out of the East.
According to the NBA schedule, tomorrow at 11 a.m., the Nets will challenge the Chicago Bulls on the road. This will be the third meeting between the two teams this season, with the two teams' first two meetings on November 9 and December 5. In the first game between the two teams, the Nets lost the Bulls by 23 points, and in the second game, the Nets lost the Bulls by 4 points.
Tomorrow is the third match between the two teams, and according to the Nets' official updated injury report, Clarkston is listed as a suspect due to a tight left hamstring, Harden due to overextended left knee, and Irving due to a sprained left ankle. In addition, Joe Harris will remain absent due to an ankle injury and Aldridge due to a foot injury.
This should be bad news for the Nets, who officially announced Harden's retirement before yesterday's away game against the Blazers began. Then the Nets reporter Kristian Winfield said: "There is not much news about Harden's knee injury, and the Nets have to face a difficult back-to-back schedule this week, so it is necessary to let Harden rest and recover." ”
In addition, Nets coach Nash also said that Harden is expected to play Thursday's away game against the Bulls. But either way, the Nets have to be serious about injuries, so whether Harden can play tomorrow is unknown. And in yesterday's game, Irving collided with the Blazers' Little, Irving even fell to the ground at one point, today the Nets updated the injury report that Irving sprained his left ankle into doubt, it seems that the impact of this collision on Irving is not small.
It is worth mentioning that if Harden and Irving are both absent from the game against the Chicago Bulls tomorrow, it means that Kevin Durant has to carry the team alone. In the last seven games, Durant is full attendance, averaging 30 points per game, which can be said to be a best effort, but it is still unable to lead the team to victory, in addition, Durant's playing time has reached the highest value in the past seven seasons, and more than 37 minutes of playing time is undoubtedly a huge consumption for Durant, who has been seriously injured. Interestingly, after yesterday's game against the Trail Blazers, Nash also said in an interview: "I will consider giving Durant a break at the right time." "In this way, tomorrow Durant will not be able to rest."
If Irving and Harden can participate in the game tomorrow, then the Nets tomorrow's game against the Bulls is likely to stage a strong showdown, and if harden and Irving can't play because of this tomorrow, it will be really painful for Durant, and he will have to carry the team forward alone.