Kyrie Irving has missed the Nets’ last nine games and is slated to be out two more.
Coach Kenny Atkinson said Tuesday that Irving will miss the team’s next two games — a Wednesday night game in Atlanta (7:30 ET, League Pass) and Friday’s game in Charlotte (7 ET, League Pass) — and will not travel with the team for those games.
Irving last played on Nov. 14 in a 101-93 road loss to the Denver Nuggets, finishing with 17 points and nine assists. He then missed the Celtics’ next four games because of a shoulder impingement that was believed to be suffered in that loss to Denver. From there, the team announced Irving would miss the team’s next three games (which were road games against the New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics). Irving also sat out a Nov. 29 win against the Celtics and a Dec. 1 loss to the Miami Heat.
The Nets have gone 6-3 without Irving in the lineup as guard Spencer Dinwiddie has stepped up in his absence. Dinwiddie was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week in Week 5 of the season and is averaging 25 points and 7.3 assists per game during Irving’s absence.
This season, Irving is averaging 28.5 ppg, 5.4 rpg and 7.2 apg, while shooting 44.4% overall and 34.1% from 3-point range in 33.8 minutes per game.
