The Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks are knotted up 2-2, but the Nets’ injuries may make it impossible for them to win the series. The Nets have now blown a 2-0 series lead, and Kyrie Irving is the latest to do down with an injury (sprained ankle and on crutches and wearing a walking boot).
James Harden has been out since he aggravated his hamstring during Game 1, where the Nets beat the Bucks 115-107. Kevin Durant is the lone player of the “Big Three” who has stayed healthy, but he can’t do it alone.
Harden may be able to play Game 5, but there’s no official word on that yet. The Nets did get Jeff Green back, who had been out with a plantar fascia strain in his foot. That helped a bit, but his eight points and five rebounds were a drop in the bucket.
Giannis Antetokounmpo pumped in 34 in Game 4. He was all but written off early in the series when his team was down. Now, he’s the biggest reason why the Nets are in trouble even though the series is tied.
Are the Nets championship hopes fading? This time last week they were firm Championship favorites, now they are now just ahead of the Jazz and Phoenix Suns.
Meanwhile in Philadelphia
The 76ers lead the Atlanta Hawks 2-1 in their series even though star center, Joel Embiid has a partial lateral meniscus tear in his knee. Playing like the true star that he is, Embiid has been averaging over 35 points and 35 minutes per game, and that’s been huge for Philly.
On a bad note, three-point shooter, Danny Green will be out for the rest of the series with a calf strain. Does that mean that Ben Simmons has to step up? It might. It seems like they will need him to score more than 13 points per game average in this series.
In Atlanta, Hawks fans openly cheered when Embiid was down on the floor in pain. They want him to miss parts of the series, but so far, the 76ers center has been gutting it out, and that’s why they are up in the series.