Kevin Durant Goes Down With Apparent Knee Injury vs. Heat

The Nets forward exited after an awkward collision with Miami forward Jimmy Butler.

Despite beating the Heat to continue their winning ways, the Nets sustained a potentially critical loss Sunday in Miami.

Brooklyn forward Kevin Durant exited the game after sustaining an apparent right knee injury with 1:05 left in the third quarter. Durant crashed to the floor when Heat forward Jimmy Butler landed on him after having a shot blocked by Nets guard Ben Simmons.

Jimmy Butler lands on Kevin Durant's knees. KD injured his knee around this time last year and the Nets' entire landscape changed with James Harden quitting & forcing a trade

It's the same nightmare relived #NetsWorld pic.twitter.com/8XhkdDkkzg

— Jeri Tsai (@JeriTsaiNets) January 9, 2023

Durant remained in the game for two subsequent possessions but was eventually forced to go to the locker room, ending his night with 17 points, five rebounds, and two assists in 30 minutes. Brooklyn trailed 82–79 at the break but rallied for a 102–101 victory.

Nets coach Jacque Vaughn told reporters that Durant would get an MRI on his knee on Monday "just to make sure we're good."

Brooklyn has been one of the hottest teams in the NBA of late, winning 14 of its last 15 games. The Nets' next game on Thursday is a showdown against the Celtics, who lead the Eastern Conference by one game.