The Brooklyn Nets will be without their two best players for a second straight game of a back-to-back sequence as Kyrie Irving won’t travel to Tennessee.
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Irving sat out of the Nets’ game against Philadelphia at the Barclays Center last night. He cited personal reasons for doing so. Coach Steve Nash came out and said ahead of the game that he’d failed to get through to his eccentric guard. There’s a good chance Kyrie didn’t play as a sign of protest against the Capitol Hill riots.
It was reported by an anonymous Twitter account that Kyrie just ‘didn’t feel like playing’ last night. If he gives any kind of attention to the PR he generates, he will have sorted things out with Nash by now. Irving is one of the easiest and readiest NBA players for the media to target and flame.
Kyrie Irving will sit out game against Memphis Grizzlies
Irving will not be playing against the Grizzlies tonight, as confirmed by Malika Andrews of ESPN.
Kyrie Irving will not fly with the Nets to Memphis tonight, a team spokesperson says.
— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) January 8, 2021
Irving was leading the team in points per game through 7 games played for the Nets this season. He was in arguably the form of his life on the offensive end. But given that this is not an injury break, Irving is likely to come back without much rust. He could line up with KD on Sunday night against OKC Thunder.
The Nets cruised to a 122-109 victory over the Sixers despite not having their two best offensive weapons. In Kyrie and Tyler Johnson’s absence, Caris LeVert and Bruce Brown started at the guard spots. Joe Harris was on fire last night, making 6 of his 9 3-point attempts.
Jarrett Allen moved into the starting lineup and produced another great display against an All-NBA center. Allen held his own with 15 points and 11 rebounds against the bigger Joel Embiid.
