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Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) handles the ball against Brooklyn Nets guard Cam Thomas, left, during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo\/Noah K. Murray)<\/p>\n
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NEW YORK (AP) \u2014 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n In fact, Durant missed time two seasons in a row with a knee injury caused when someone fell into his leg.<\/p>\n \u201cOne thing I don\u2019t want to see with Nikola is like, they started calling me \u2018injury prone\u2019 after that, but hopefully they don\u2019t start with him because it\u2019s one of those freak injuries that you can’t really control,\u201d Durant said Thursday night after the Rockets beat the Nets 120-96<\/a> in his return to Brooklyn.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can do all the work you can, but somebody falls into your knee, that\u2019s just tough.\u201d<\/p>\n Jokic, the three-time NBA MVP, was hurt Monday night in Miami when Denver teammate Spencer Jones stepped on the center’s left foot while defending a drive by Miami\u2019s Jaime Jaquez Jr. as time was about to expire in the second quarter. Jokic\u2019s knee buckled a bit and he collapsed to the court, grabbing at the knee.<\/p>\n The Nuggets said Tuesday he will be evaluated again in four weeks.<\/p>\n Durant sprained the medial collateral ligament of his left knee in January 2022 when teammate Bruce Brown was knocked backward and fell into his knee. He ended up missing 21 games with that injury.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Jokic’s injury was a hyperextension, perhaps allowing him to return more quickly.<\/p>\n \u201cSo it\u2019s good to see it\u2019s only four weeks and it\u2019s not anything too big,\u201d Durant said. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t an MCL sprain or Level 2, it felt like it was just a tweak and he\u2019s going to be back out there soon. He\u2019s great for the game and you want to see the best players on the floor at all times.\u201d<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n
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