All 76ers

Brooklyn Nets’ Kyrie Irving Likely to Face 76ers Next Week

As Kyrie Irving wraps up his suspension, the Nets star is on pace to face the 76ers next week.
Justin Grasso|
Brooklyn Nets’ Kyrie Irving Likely to Face 76ers Next Week
Brooklyn Nets’ Kyrie Irving Likely to Face 76ers Next Week

In this story:

Philadelphia 76ersBrooklyn Nets

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_.

Published
Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Justin Grasso was a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s Philadelphia 76ers On SI Network. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writers Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoMedia Threads: @JGrassoMedia

Share on XFollow @JGrasso_
Home/News