Kevin Durant injured again, this time with left thigh contusion

Nets star Kevin Durant suffered what the team has called a left thigh contusion in the opening minutes of their game against the Heat on Sunday.

Durant appeared to have been injured after he bumped legs with Heat forward Trevor Ariza on a drive to the rim early in the first quarter. He missed both free throws after the play, then ran back up the court before determining he needed to have his quadriceps examined.

That was at the 7:57 mark when he started to lean on his right leg.

He then went straight to the locker room with team trainers before the decision was made to pull him from the game altogether. Durant left after scoring the Nets first eight points on three-of-three shooting from the field.

The decision to hold Durant out is one that follows the team‘s MO of playing it cautious. He has only played in four full games since missing 23 straight games with a hamstring injury. Durant is also getting his legs back under him after missing the entire 2019-20 season with a ruptured Achilles tendon.

“We’re kind of used to it now,” Steve Nash said during the game. “We’ve had a lot thrown at us, different lineups. We miss Kevin dearly, but we’ve been able to scrap and adapt this year, and other guys will get an opportunity.”