The Brooklyn Nets' injury woes took another hit today, with Kyrie Irving exiting their 115-107 win over the Chicago Bulls with a facial contusion.
Irving collected an inadvertent elbow from Bulls big man Nikola Vucevic in the third quarter and did not return.
He exited the game with 10:08 left in the quarter with the Nets leading 68-58. Irving finished with 13 points, all coming in the first quarter.
Kyrie Irving took an inadvertent elbow to the face from Nikola Vucevic and was helped by trainers.
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 12, 2021
He eventually walked to the locker room under his own power. pic.twitter.com/EZoyjHZBJt
Nets head coach Steve Nash ruled out a concussion post-game, saying that the X-Ray was "inconclusive" with Irving to undergo further testing tomorrow, per ESPN's Malika Andrews
Steve Nash said that Kyrie Irving does not have a concussion. He said that he had an X-Ray that was "inconclusive" -- meaning "they need a further scan, I don't know if it's the swelling or what."
— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) May 12, 2021
Irving will have another scan in the morning, Nash said.
Despite missing 17 games this season, Irving has put together a stellar campaign for the Nets, averaging a career-high 27.4 points on a career-high 5.4 percent shooting, adding six assists and four rebounds in 51 starts.
While it's unclear if, or how long Irving will be sidelined, the Nets have struggled to put their best team on the floor all season, with James Harden awaiting to return after missing the last 18 games with a hamstring injury, while Kevin Durant missed 23 games with a strained hamstring.
The trio of Irving, Harden and Kevin Durant have played just seven games together, but have given the league a glimpse of one of the most devastating three-man lineups, boasting an offensive rating of 122.4.
They remain in second place in the Eastern Conference with a 45-24 record, 2.0 games back of the Philadelphia 76ers with just three games remaining in the regular season.
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