NEW YORK — Kevin Durant left what ended up being his final game with the Brooklyn Nets after getting hurt similar to the way Nikola Jokic just was.
In fact, Durant sat out time two seasons in a row because of a knee injury caused when someone fell into his leg.
“One thing I don’t want to see with Nikola is like, they started calling me ‘injury prone’ after that, but hopefully they don’t start with him because it’s one of those freak injuries that you can’t really control,” Durant said Thursday night after the Rockets beat the Nets 120-96 in his return to Brooklyn.
“You can do all the work you can, but somebody falls into your knee, that’s just tough.”
Jokic, a three-time NBA MVP, hyperextended his knee Monday night in Miami when Denver teammate Spencer Jones stepped on the center’s left foot while defending a drive by the Heat’s Jaime Jaquez Jr. as time was about to expire in the second quarter. Jokic’s knee buckled a bit and he collapsed to the court, grabbing at the knee.
The Nuggets said Tuesday he would be reevaluated in four weeks.
Durant sprained the medial collateral ligament in his left knee in January 2022 when teammate Bruce Brown was knocked backward and fell into him. He ended up sitting out 21 games because of that injury.
Then, Durant was hurt on the same court as Jokic when then-Heat star Jimmy Butler fell backward into his right knee in a Jan. 8, 2023, game, causing another sprained ligament. He never played again for the Nets, who traded him to Phoenix a month later. He finally got on the court for the Suns in March after a 20-game absence.
Jokic’s injury is a hyperextension, perhaps allowing him to return more quickly.
“So it’s good to see it’s only four weeks and it’s not anything too big,” Durant said. “It wasn’t an MCL sprain or Level 2, it felt like it was just a tweak and he’s going to be back out there soon. He’s great for the game and you want to see the best players on the floor at all times.”