For the first time in his 13-year career, Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant came off the bench, checking in at the 4:13 mark of the first quarter Friday night against the Toronto Raptors.
Durant was not available to start due to health and safety protocols, the team announced shortly before tipoff. Durant had come into contact with someone thought to have been exposed to the coronavirus, but after that person underwent further testing, Durant was cleared to play, sources told ESPN’s Malika Andrews.
Durant started each of his first 866 career games before Friday night. That is the fourth-longest streak to start a career among players to debut since 1970-71, when starts became official.
Only Patrick Ewing, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul had longer streaks than Durant.
Durant, who had COVID-19 last March, is the second-leading scorer in the NBA, averaging 30.8 points per game. He previously missed three games in early January due to health and safety protocols.