Kyrie Irving to Return to Nets Tomorrow Night
Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving is set to make his season debut tomorrow night when the Nets visit the Indiana Pacers.
It marks the first time Irving has played in a game since Game 7 of last year’s Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Milwaukee Bucks that Irving has played in an NBA game.
Irving, who is still not vaccinated against Coronavirus and its variants, was previously kept away from the team because they did not want to have a part-time player, who was unvaccinated and could only play in select road games.
However due to the Nets own outbreak of the Omicron variant sent 10 players, including James Harden and Kevin Durant, into COVID protocols.
The Nets could surely use Irving back on the floor. Brooklyn has lost three straight, including a 118-104 loss at the hands of the Memphis Grizzlies.
Watch the 4th Quarter Highlights from Brooklyn Nets vs. Memphis Grizzlies, 01/03/2022 pic.twitter.com/OaEBelGFfa
— Arie Gellman (@ArieGellman) January 4, 2022
“It definitely gives us a spark,” James Harden said. “We can’t wait to have him back, but we have to do things that are necessary like I keep saying.”
Due to COVID protocols, Irving can not play in home games at the Barclays Center, or when the Nets are the visiting team at Madison Square Garden against the Knicks. He also can’t play in games in Toronto due to vaccine and mask requirements.
The Nets have 25 road games remaining on schedule; three of them Irving cannot play in unless he gets vaccinated.
At 23-12, the Nets trail the surging Chicago Bulls (25-10) by two games in the Eastern Conference. Milwaukee (25-14) is right on the Nets heels for the number 2 seed in the conference.
