Kevin Durant: Brooklyn Nets forward taken off because of coronavirus protocols

Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant vented his anger after being removed partway through Friday’s defeat by the Toronto Raptors because of coronavirus protocols.

Durant was left out of the Nets’ starting line-up after a close contact returned an inconclusive Covid-19 test.

He was then allowed to come off the bench in the first quarter – before that same contact then tested positive.

He was removed in the third quarter and threw a water bottle in frustration.

“Free me,” 10-time All Star Durant later wrote on Twitter.. It was the 32-year-old’s first appearance as a reserve in his 867 NBA games.

In a statement, the NBA said its health and safety protocols “do not require a player to be quarantined until a close contact has a confirmed positive test”.

It added Durant had tested negative three times in the previous 24 hours, including twice on Friday, but he will reportedly not travel with the team for Saturday’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Durant, who tested positive for coronavirus in March, has already missed three games of the current NBA season because of Covid-19 protocols.

He managed eight points in the Nets’ 123-117 defeat by the Raptors, who saw Pascal Siakam and Kyle Lowry score season-high totals of 33 and 30 respectively.

Friday round-up
Elsewhere in Friday’s games, the New Orleans Pelicans edged a 114-113 victory over the Indiana Pacers, with Zion Williamson top-scoring for the Pelicans on 18.

Nikola Vucevic scored a career-high 43 points and made a season-best 19 rebounds in the Orlando Magic’s 123-119 win over the Chicago Bulls, who mounted a fourth quarter comeback that fell just short.

The Milwaukee Bucks eased past the Cleveland Cavaliers 123-105 largely thanks to Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 33 points and 12 rebounds, while it was a dominant victory too for the Miami Heat, who defeated the Washington Wizards 122-95.

Western Conference leaders the Utah Jazz scored 13 three-pointers en-route to a 138-121 win over the Charlotte Hornets, as the Minnesota Timberwolves narrowly beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 106-103, D’Angelo Russell scoring the deciding three-pointer with 2.9 seconds left on the clock.

The Phoenix Suns rolled to a 109-92 victory over the Detroit Pistons, while the Boston Celtics bounced back from an 11-point third-quarter deficit to beat the Los Angeles Clippers 119-115.