Brooklyn Nets’ Kyrie Irving Likely to Face 76ers Next Week
Earlier this month, the Brooklyn Nets suspended their star guard Kyrie Irving. According to Mark Medina of NBA.com, Irving’s suspension was a result of promoting an antisemitic documentary on his Twitter account, which he refused to apologize for initially.
When the Nets decided Irving would miss time, it was initially believed that a five-game suspension would take place. It turned out that Irving would miss more time than initially anticipated.
Brooklyn’s November 15 loss against the Sacramento Kings marked the seventh-straight matchup the star guard missed. At that point, it was unclear when Irving would return to the floor.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Irving is wrapping up his suspension and is expected to return to the court as early as this weekend.
Per Charania, Irving is expected to be cleared to play on Sunday when the Nets face the Memphis Grizzlies. Therefore, Irving is expected to miss an eighth-straight matchup, which is set to take place on Thursday night against the Portland Trail Blazers on the road.
Considering the Nets have participated in three-straight matchups going into the Portland game, Irving’s been away from the team. When the Nets return home to Brooklyn, he’ll have an opportunity to get settled back in with his teammates.
If all goes according to plan for Brooklyn, Irving will be back on the floor to face the Philadelphia 76ers next Tuesday night. The last time Irving faced the Sixers was back in March of last season. At the time, the star guard checked in for 30 minutes, scoring 22 points, five assists, and four rebounds in the Brooklyn victory over the 76ers.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.
