The Brooklyn Nets‘ injury woes continue as All-Star Kevin Durant is sidelined with injury again.

The injury occurred during the Nets’ Sunday loss to the Miami Heat. Durant started the game on fire, scoring eight points to give the team an 8-5 lead. The injury occurred during a play where Durant drove to the basket, and his left leg made contact with Miami’s Trevor Ariza. After the play, Durant was pulled from the game and headed into the locker room.

“Kevin Durant went back to the Nets locker room after suffering an apparent leg injury,” read a tweet from Sports Center. Brooklyn announced that the superstar suffered a thigh contusion and would not come back to play in the game. “Kevin Durant is out for the remainder of the game due to a left thigh contusion,” read the tweet by the Nets’ official account.

After the game, Brooklyn head coach Steve Nash spoke about the All-Star’s injury. “He’s sore, but we don’t know how severe,” Nash said. “We’ll see tomorrow how he wakes up and go from there, but right now nothing’s been determined.”

Durant missed 18 months from a ruptured Achilles he suffered in June of 2019. The All-Star recently missed 23 games due to a left hamstring strain. He returned on April 7, but now he is sidelined once again.

There is no doubt that Durant is feeling frustrated about missing games again for injuries. Fellow Nets teammate Jeff Green spoke about what the star may be feeling. “I know he’s bummed that it’s happened frequently over the last couple of weeks, and he wants to be out there playing,” Green said. “I’m sure he’s going to do whatever he needs to do to get back on the floor.”

Nets superstar point guard Kyrie Irving also talked about his teammate’s injury. “Anytime one of our teammates goes down, anytime something like that happens, it’s definitely going to take a hit for us,” Irving said. “And he’s just gotten back, we just pray that it’s not too serious and he’s able to recover, but it definitely has a hit on our continuity at times.”

The Nets’ big three of Irving, James Harden, and Durant have all experienced injuries this season. Harden is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury. Irving has missed games because of injuries and personal reasons. The big three have only played seven games together, but fans will hope the three will be healthy for the playoffs.

As long as the Nets are fully healthy for the postseason, they have a very good chance at representing the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals.

One of the NBA’s smaller market teams has made some sneakily good free agent signings over the weekend to an already promising, young roster.

The Sacramento Kings not only re-signed forward Harrison Barnes (four-years, $85 million), but also have added center Dewayne Dedmon (three-years, $41 million), forward Trevor Ariza (two-years, $25 million), and guard Cory Joseph (three-years, $37 million).

The Kings are coming off a season where they finished with a record of 39-43, good for ninth in the Western Conference. The Kings, who have not made the NBA playoffs since 2006, will be looking to break a 13 season postseason drought during the 2019/2020 NBA Season. With the additions that the Kings have made, it is hard to see them missing the playoffs once again.

https://twitter.com/MattGeorgeKHTK/status/1145684325850988545

Barnes, 27, averaged 16.4 points and 4.7 rebounds per game last season after being traded from the Dallas Mavericks to the Kings. Barnes also shot 42% from the field and 40% from three-point range.

Dedmon, 29, is coming off a season for the Atlanta Hawks where he averaged 10.8 points and 7.5 rebounds per game on 49% shooting, including a stellar 38% from three-point range, a surprise considering Dedmon is a center. Dedmon moves well for a center, fitting in with the Kings fast-paced offensive system.

Ariza, 34, spent time with both the Pheonix Suns and the Washington Wizards last season. Ariza is one of the best 3-and-D players in basketball. Ariza averaged 14.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game while with the Wizards.

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Joseph, 27, averaged 6.5 points and 3.9 assists per game for the Pacers last season, serving as the backup point guard to Darren Collison. Joseph is expected to have a similar role with the Kings, serving as the backup point guard to De’Aaron Fox.

These additions add on to an already impressive young core for the Kings. Led by Fox, the Kings also bolster Marvin Bagley III, Buddy Hield, Bogan Bogdanovic, and Harry Giles. Look out Western Conference because there is a new, young contender in town.

https://twitter.com/MattGeorgeKHTK/status/1145469358346346496

Among several teams interested in Phoenix Suns swingman Trevor Ariza are the Los Angeles Lakers, who have made it clear that they would like for him to rejoin the team.

According to several reports, however, the Lakers are nowhere close to a deal, as the team has Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and a bench player to offer as collateral.

Lakers Want Ariza To Bolster 3 And D

Phoenix and Los Angeles have both engaged in trade discussions that involve sending Pope to a third team, as the Suns are asking for a “playmaking” point guard and a draft pick in return for Ariza. Ariza signed a $15 million deal with Phoenix this offseason after a stint with the Houston Rockets and would be a valuable asset at the wing to a team in need of shooting depth such as Los Angeles.

Many NBA fans reportedly began Photoshopping Ariza into a Lakers jersey shortly after the news broke:

The Lakers, in desperate need for such depth at the wing, could use Ariza should they find themselves in the postseason in a cutthroat Western Conference. An elite defender on the perimeter, Ariza can provide rigidity to a young Lakers core that has struggled with Caldwell-Pope, who hasn’t been the defender Ariza has proved to be. Both the contracts of Caldwell-Pope and Ariza expire at the conclusion of the 2018-2019 season, so an upgrade at the position is something the Lakers can benefit from at a low risk.

30 SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2018 – TRIBUTE SLIDESHOW

Ariza, who is averaging 9.7 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists this season, is undergoing to the worst stretch of his career. This is due in part to his abysmal Suns teammates, who have lost 22 of 26 games to begin the season.

The Brooklyn Nets will open a four-game road trip on Tuesday night when they visit the Phoenix Suns, and here is what you need to know.

Nets Open four-game road trip vs. suns

Tuesday’s matchup will start at 9 p.m. EST and will air on YES Network and Fox Sports Arizona.

Brooklyn (4-6) is ninth in the Eastern Conference and has won two of its last three games against Philadelphia and Detroit. The Nets lost to the Houston Rockets 119-111 at home on Friday.

Meanwhile, the Suns (2-7) are 14th in the Western Conference. Phoenix last beat the Memphis Grizzlies 102-100 at home on Sunday, a victory that snapped a seven-game losing streak. Devin Booker made two contest jump-shots in the final moments of Sunday’s matchup, as well as the game-winner with 1.7 seconds left.

30 SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2018 – TRIBUTE SLIDESHOW

The Nets will miss Treveon Graham on Tuesday due to a lingering hamstring injury, and fellow forward DeMarre Carroll is questionable with an ankle injury. Caroll missed the first ten games of the season.

For Phoenix, forward T.J. Warren — who missed Sunday’s contest — is listed as day-to-day with back spasms.

Trevor Ariza will be the main Suns player to watch. Ariza has struggled this season, but Tuesday could finally be his night. The former Rockets small forward boasts a long record of playing in post-season games.

Veteran Suns center DeAndre Jordan received a buyout from the team on Monday.

With 12 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and the Atlanta Hawks leading 111-108, Houston Rockets forward Trevor Ariza launched a three-pointer in the hopes of sending the game into overtime.

ariza’s missed 3-Pointer in final seconds sealed Hawks’ Win

At first, it looked like Ariza’s shot was good. The up-close replay, however, clearly showed that it was an airball. The ball hit the near side of the backboard and then grazed the net, which allowed the Hawks to rebound and run down the clock, adding one quick dunk to secure the win in Houston.

Ariza missed a similar deceiving final-second three-pointer in February 2013 with the Wizards against the Pistons:

Ariza has made 1,086 three in his career, although some announcers might have erroneously said 1,088 after both these attempts.

Dwight Howard led Atlanta with 24 points and 23 rebounds in his first game in Houston since signing with the Hawks during the offseason.

Atlanta trailed by as many as 20 points and began the fourth quarter down 13 before Howard led a late comeback.

Tim Hardaway Jr. added a career-high 33 points for the Hawks, including a driving dunk with under one minute left that gave Atlanta a three-point lead. Hardaway scored 23 of his points in the fourth quarter.  However, he credited one of his teammates for the win.

”These guys can play all they want, but what was working was DeAndre’ Bembry –– you’ve got to give him all the credit,” Hardaway said. ”He took the challenge of guarding possibly the MVP of the season, it’s a hard task, but he stayed discipline.”

Bembry matched up with James Harden for almost the entire fourth quarter and held him to just six points.

Harden had 41 points, eight assists and eight rebounds. Clint Capela added 22 points and nine rebounds.

The Rockets blew their lead when Hardaway was fouled on a driving layup and converted the free throw to give the Hawks a one-point lead with two minutes left.

Hardaway started in place of Thabo Sefolosha, who missed his third straight game with a groin injury. Mike Dunleavy exited the game early in the fourth quarter with an apparent ankle injury and did not return.

As part of their ongoing celebration of the franchise’s 50th season, the Rockets honored former small forward Shane Battier with a video montage during the first half. Battier played five seasons in Houston from 2006 to 2011 and was named to the Rockets’ all-decade team for the 2000s.

The Hawks next host Orlando on Saturday, while the Rockets will host Chicago on Friday.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ssT9unp3xc

HOUSTON, TX – MARCH 16: Trevor Ariza #1 of the Houston Rockets shoots the basketball against the Los Angeles Clippers during their game at the Toyota Center on March 16, 2016 in Houston, Texas.