New York / London. Forward Kevin Durant, the season’s top scorer in the NBA, joined a long list of Nets casualties from coronavirus prevention protocols. The Brooklyn team, leaders of the Eastern Conference, have seven other infected elements, including their star James Harden.
Durant was scheduled to rest in yesterday’s game against the Orlando Magic with ankle discomfort but, after being entered by the team in the protocol, he will now be separated for an indefinite period of time.
To return to the courts, a player on the protocol list must wait a minimum of 10 days or test negative in two Covid-19 tests at least 24 hours apart.
Durant, 33, is one of the early favorites for the MVP (Most Valuable Player) award of the season with an average of 29.7 points, 7.9 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game.
In 2020, the forward was one of the first players to report having tested positive for coronavirus a few days after the NBA suspended its regular season and last February he was withdrawn in the middle of the game as a preventive measure after having been in close contact with a infected person.
Faced with this situation, the franchise called up Kyrie Irving, who had been separated from the squad since the beginning of the season for his refusal to be vaccinated, however, the point guard underwent a test in which he apparently tested positive.
The wave of infections in the NBA has dozens of players from most franchises, including MVPs like Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks), out of the locker room in recent days.
The League plans to reinforce prevention measures and Covid-19 tests during the Christmas holidays while teams do everything possible not to suspend games, either by competing with the minimum number of players allowed or by signing reinforcements with short contracts.
Meanwhile, in London, the match of day 18 of the Premier League between Aston Villa and Burnley, was postponed yesterday due to a large number of infections among the local team players.
Rick Parry, president of the English Football League (EFL), assured that there is no scientific evidence to justify the suspension of football in England despite the outbreaks of the coronavirus.
The EFL, which manages the three divisions that are under the Premier, was forced to postpone 19 of the 36 games scheduled for this weekend due to the increase in infected.
Arsenal signed their third consecutive victory by winning 4-1 in their visit to Leeds United by Marcelo Bielsa, in the only match held yesterday.
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