Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin, and Others to Miss Nets vs. Sixers Matchup

Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin, James Harden and several other players will miss Wednesday's matchup with the Sixers.

Justin Grasso | Apr 14, 2021

Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin, and Others to Miss Nets vs. Sixers Matchup /

What was shaping up to be a fantastic Wednesday night showdown on ESPN between the Brooklyn Nets and the Philadelphia 76ers is now significantly less interesting for the average basketball fan who wanted to see two heavyweights go at it.

For months, the Sixers have been battling back and forth with the Nets for the number one seed in the Eastern Conference. As both teams are tied for first place heading into Wednesday's game, it remains a critical matchup as the winner will take the tie-breaker if it's needed at the end of the year.

The good news for the Sixers is that they have much better odds of taking that tie-breaker away from Brooklyn on Wednesday night. While no amount of injuries to an opposing team guarantees a win ever, the Nets will be without several key players on Wednesday while the Sixers have everybody but one player healthy.

Kevin Durant, who's been in and out of Brooklyn's lineup this season with a couple of setbacks, won't play against Philly once again on Wednesday. As the superstar forward played in Tuesday's afternoon matchup against the Timberwolves, Durant will take the second night of a back-to-back off to avoid overworking himself.

In addition to Durant, the Nets will also be without their other star James Harden, the veteran forward Blake Griffin, one of their new additions LaMarcus Aldridge, and the veteran reserve Tyler Johnson.

Wednesday's game marks the third time this season the Sixers will face Brooklyn without Kevin Durant and the second time without James Harden. Considering it's the final meeting between these two teams in the regular season, the 76ers won't see the Nets at full strength at all this year unless they meet in the postseason.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_ & Instagram: @JGrassoNBA.

Published Apr 14, 2021

JUSTIN GRASSO

Title: Credentialed writer/reporter covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation Email: JustinGrasso32@Gmail.com Location: Philadelphia, PA Expertise: Reporting, insight, and analysis on the Sixers and the NBA Justin Grasso is a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation. 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 Writer’s Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoNBA