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Are we about to see the return of face mask Kyrie Irving on the Nets? Kyrie Irving has a long history of facial injuries in the NBA, and during Bulls vs Nets another unfortunate incident was added to the list. About 10 minutes into the 3rd quarter Nikola Vucevic knocked out Kyrie Irving after making accidental contact with his face.
Slow motion replays would show Nikola Vucevic elbowed Kyrie Irving with face crushing force while chasing down a rebound. Kyrie Irving collapsed after taking the hit, and was seen laid out on the ground before covering his face with his jersey. He was able to walk off the court under his own power.
The last time Kyrie Irving had a serious facial injury was after taking a hit from his own teammate Aaron Baynes during his brief Celtics days.
Kyrie Irving has been diagnosed with a facial contusion, which means blood vessels tore under his skin and leaked into the soft tissues of his face. A facial contusion usually takes around 2 weeks to heal to the point where you don’t see the damage anymore.
If the playoffs started today this would be an injury he could probably play through, possibly with a facemask for precaution. Since it’s still regularly for a few more games, you might see Nets sit Kyrie Irving out to give him some rest and healing time.
Author: JordanThrilla Staff
