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Protestors rallied outside Barclays Center on Friday in support of Kyrie Irving. While it’s uncertain if any more demonstrations are planned when the Nets play host to the Jazz on Monday, or in the immediate future, it’s clear the situation continues to be divisive.
The protestors held signs that read “Wake Up New York” and “Brooklyn Loves Kyrie.” Others ripped up Nets tickets along with photos of Mayor Eric Adams, angered that he hasn’t repealed private sector vaccine mandates that bar the All-Star from playing home games. Adams hasn’t offered any timetable and city health commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan was equally vague Friday.
“I think it’s indefinite at this point,” Dr. Vasan said. “People who’ve tried to predict what’s going to happen in the future for this pandemic have repeatedly found egg on their face, as they say. I’m not going to do that here.”
Kevin Durant seemingly vexed the mayor’s office by calling out Adams recently, but head coach Steve Nash wouldn’t be drawn into whether he felt that there had been enough clarity on the issue.
“I really don’t know that it’s going to benefit anyone for me to comment on it, so I’ll stay away from it,” Nash said.
Missing six weeks with a sprained MCL took Durant out of the running for anot her MVP award, but he insists that isn’t particularly frustrating.
He even handicapped this year’s race (the award is voted on by sportswriters and broadcasters) and dubbed 76ers center Joel Embiid his favorite.
“I would go between Joel Embiid, DeMar DeRozan, Ja Morant — those are my top three,” Durant said. “I would probably go Joel. Could throw [Nikola] Jokic in there, but I’d go Joel.”
Michigan State’s NCAA Tournament first-round victory over Davidson and its second-round date Sunday with Duke mean Seth Curry will be talking with former Spartan Draymond Green instead of his brother Stephen Curry, a former Wildcat, about a little March Madness wager.
“I know Draymond said something on his podcast that he’s looking for all Dukies to take bets with if they match up in the second round,” said Curry, a former Blue Devil. “So either way, Davidson or Michigan State, it’s going to be a fun one for me.”
Nic Claxton has stepped up since the Nets lost veteran LaMarcus Aldridge to a hip injury.
In the last five games, Claxton has averaged 10.2 points on 66.7 percent shooting, with 7.4 rebounds and 1.2 blocks. His clutch tip-in of a Bruce Brown miss gave the Nets a 124-119 lead with just 21.4 seconds left in their win Friday over Portland.
“Nic’s been great,” Nash said. “He’s, like I keep saying, a unique profile for us in that he’s so good defending on the perimeter, protecting the rim, his mobility, he’s able to get in and out of pick and rolls it helpful as well offensively, his offensive rebounding at times. Just having that kind of youth and athleticism and activity has been really helpful for us, and it’s a unique profile for the squad.”
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