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NEW YORK – Kyrie Irving will not play against the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday night, marking the seventh game in a row he will miss as he continues to step up his activity on the pitch.
As Irving nears return to the game, his debut alongside James Harden and Kevin Durant could come on the Nets’ upcoming two-game road trip. The Nets are scheduled to face the Cavaliers on January 20 and 22. Irving has only played Cleveland once since trading from the Cavs to the Celtics in 2017 – on opening night of the 2017-18 season.
Irving, who was listed as questionable in Sunday night’s injury report, has not played in a game since Jan.5.
For the first five games of his absence, Irving has been listed as absent for personal reasons. While Irving was away from the team, images of Irving dancing and standing next to his sister as she blew out candles at a family birthday party began circulating on social media.
The league’s COVID-19 security protocols say players are not allowed to visit bars, clubs and lounges or attend gatherings of 15 or more people. Irving broke these rules and was fined $ 50,000. Irving also lost more than $ 800,000 in salary for the two games he had to miss in quarantine.
League rules allow players who have had to quarantine themselves to have a few days to increase their practice on the pitch before joining their team in a match. The Nets did not have an official practice this weekend.
In a statement last week, Nets general manager Sean Marks said Irving “will have an opportunity to speak about his absence when he’s ready to do so.”
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