Doc Rivers said "nobody's going to feel sorry for us" after the depleted Philadelphia 76ers went down to the Atlanta Hawks on Monday.
The Sixers used nine players in the 112-94 defeat, two more than they had available in the 115-103 loss to the Denver Nuggets.
Ben Simmons (left knee) was again absent, while Tobias Harris, Shake Milton, Matisse Thybulle and Vincent Poirier were left out due to COVID-19 protocols. Seth Curry had also tested positive for coronavirus on Thursday.
For head coach Rivers there are no excuses and he expects plenty of teams to struggle during an unusual NBA season.
"Nobody's going to feel sorry for us. We've got to try to win these games," Rivers said.
"We're in a tough spot with COVID - not a lot we can do with it. I have a sneaking feeling that there's going to be a lot of teams with this problem.
"Right now, we're getting hit with it, which is unfortunate for us. It's unfortunate it happened when we had four games in [six] days.
"It's like the timing of this couldn't have been any worse at all."
Simmons' absence for the Denver game led to the 76ers receiving a $25,000 fine for violating the NBA's injury reporting rules.
Rivers added of Simmons: "We thought it'd be one game and now it's two."
Joel Embiid had 24 points and 11 rebounds after recovering from back tightness.
He played 23 minutes and Rivers explained why Embiid did not spend more time on the court.
"You give yourself a shot, and then as a coach, you've got to assess," he added.
"Even at half-time for me, I saw what the score was and I didn't think there was much of a chance of us winning that game.
"My assessment was get everybody out as soon as I could, and you start thinking about the next game."
LaMelo Ball made more history as the Charlotte Hornets defeated the New York Knicks 109-88 in the NBA on Monday.
Ball became the youngest player in NBA history to record a triple-double on Saturday, and he was at it again for the Hornets – who won their fourth straight game.
The Hornets rookie became the first player aged 19 or younger in league history to lead his team in both rebounds and assists in three consecutive games.
Ball finished with eight points, a career-high 14 rebounds and seven assists as star Hornets team-mate Gordon Hayward posted 34 points, including 28 in the first half.
Two-time reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo returned to help the Milwaukee Bucks past the Orlando Magic 121-99.
Antetokounmpo was in action following a one-game absence due to a minor back injury and scored 22 points, while Bucks team-mate Khris Middleton led the way with 20 points and 10 rebounds.
Brilliant Beal helps snap skid
The Washington Wizards ended their three-game losing streak and claimed their first home win of the season thanks to Bradley Beal's 34 points and a 128-107 victory over the Phoenix Suns. Devin Booker had 33 points for the Suns.
Nikola Vucevic put up 28 points and 13 rebounds for the beaten Magic in Orlando.
The shorthanded Philadelphia 76ers lost 112-94 at the Atlanta Hawks, but Joel Embiid had 24 points and 11 rebounds. Hawks star Trae Young scored 26 points.
Pascal Siakam recorded a triple-double of 22 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists but the struggling Toronto Raptors still lost 112-111 to the Portland Trail Blazers. CJ McCollum (30) and Damian Lillard (23) combined for 53 points.
Harrison Barnes (game-high 30 points) fuelled the Sacramento Kings' 127-122 win against the Indiana Pacers. Domantas Sabonis posted 28 points and 11 rebounds for the Pacers.
Knicks struggle
It was a forgettable outing for the Knicks, who were just 39.1 per cent from the field and 24.3 per cent from three-point range. New York's Immanuel Quickley made just one of 10 field goals, while he missed all six attempts from beyond the arc for three points in 29 minutes.
Clutch CJ!
McCollum nailed the game-winning shot with 9.6 seconds remaining to lift the Trail Blazers.
Monday's results
Charlotte Hornets 109-89 New York Knicks
Memphis Grizzlies 101-91 Cleveland Cavaliers
Milwaukee Bucks 121-99 Orlando Magic
Washington Wizards 128-107 Phoenix Suns
Atlanta Hawks 112-94 Philadelphia 76ers
Portland Trail Blazers 112-111 Toronto Raptors
Sacramento Kings 127-122 Indiana Pacers
New Orleans Pelicans-Dallas Mavericks (postponed)
Lakers at Rockets
LeBron James and defending champions the Los Angeles Lakers (8-3) will face James Harden's Houston Rockets (3-5) again on Tuesday.
Miami Heat stars Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo have been ruled out of Tuesday's scheduled showdown with the Philadelphia 76ers due to the NBA's health and safety protocols amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Butler and Adebayo were added to Miami's COVID-19 protocol list on Monday, joining team-mates Goran Dragic, Kendrick Nunn, Maurice Harkless, Udonis Haslem and KZ Okpala.
Heat guard Avery Bradley had been placed on the health and safety protocols list before Sunday's matchup against the Boston Celtics was postponed.
The coronavirus situation also saw the postponement of Monday's game between the New Orleans Pelicans and Dallas Mavericks, as well as the Celtics-Chicago Bulls encounter on Tuesday.
Miami are ninth in the Eastern Conference with a 4-4 record after reaching last season's NBA Finals, eventually beaten by the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Washington Wizards will be without star Russell Westbrook for at least a week due to a left quadriceps injury.
Westbrook will be re-evaluated at the end of the week after suffering repeated contact to the area since the start of the NBA season, the Wizards announced on Monday.
It is a blow for the Wizards, who have slumped to 2-8 amid high expectations following Westbrook's arrival from the Houston Rockets.
Former MVP Westbrook is averaging 19.3 points, 11.3 assists and 9.7 rebounds per game in seven appearances for the Wizards this season.
Westbrook has already made some history since swapping the Rockets for the Wizards in a blockbuster trade.
The nine-time All-Star joined Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson as the only players in NBA history to open a season with four triple-doubles in their first four games.
Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving will miss his fourth consecutive game, the NBA franchise announced on Monday.
Irving has been sidelined due to personal reasons and his absence will continue for Tuesday's clash with the Denver Nuggets.
When asked for an update on Irving's status, Nets head coach Steve Nash told reporters: "I do not have any updates, sorry".
While star team-mate Kevin Durant returned in Sunday's loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, NBA champion and six-time All-Star Irving was missing once again.
Irving is averaging 27.1 points, 6.1 assists and 5.3 rebounds per game in Brooklyn this season.
The Nets (5-6) have lost back-to-back games to sit 10th in the Eastern Conference, behind the eighth-placed Charlotte Hornets (5-5).
These are uncertain times for the NBA as it continues to navigate the coronavirus pandemic.
COVID-19 protocols have left rosters lighter in number and, with contract tracing having a major impact, it is far from surprising to see games being postponed.
The absences have offered some players greater opportunities to impress in the embryonic stages of a shortened season that will require adaptability from all involved.
After an eventful week, Stats Perform assesses those performers who have stood out - for good and bad reasons - in games from January 4-10.
RUNNING HOT...
Bradley Beal
It has been a tough start for the Wizards, who are stuck in the basement of the Eastern Conference. Beal, however, has excelled amid the defeats. He is averaging 35 points per game for the season but has been particularly spectacular in recent outings, including dropping 60 against the Philadelphia 76ers. While it set a new career best for points - and tied a franchise record too - Beal made clear he is not interested in personal milestones: "I just want to win. Sometimes you might be able to score 40, 50, 60, whatever the case may be, but I just want to win".
Tyrese Maxey
The 21st pick in the 2020 draft had scored a combined tally of 52 points through his first nine NBA appearances. Then, amid injuries, positive COVID tests and coronavirus-enforced isolations, Maxey was thrust into a leading role as one of just seven players available against the Denver Nuggets on Saturday. His response to the situation was to score 39 points in just under 44 minutes of action, having taken 33 shots but no free throw attempts. In doing so, he became the first 76ers rookie with at least 35 points in a game since franchise legend Allen Iverson in 1997.
Jimmy Butler
Butler has begun to heat up after a cold start to the new campaign for Miami. The five-time All-Star had been hampered by injury issues but has looked back to somewhere near his best of late, managing 18, 26 and 26 points in his past three games. Surprisingly, though, Butler is still yet to manage a successful three-point attempt, missing on his seven shots from deep so far. It is a different story from the free-throw line, though, going 28 of 29 from the charity stripe.
LaMelo Ball
The rise and rise of the youngest Ball brother continues. The point guard became the youngest player in NBA history to score a triple-double as Charlotte Hornets beat the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday. At 19 years and 140 days old, Ball had 22 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists. He had narrowly missed out on achieving the feat in his team's previous outing, against a New Orleans Pelicans team that included older sibling Lonzo. His rebounding average has gone from 4.33 a game to 9.25 across the past week.
GOING COLD...
James Harden
The NBA's scoring champion for the previous three seasons, Harden is still averaging 26 points per game despite continued doubts over his long-term future in Houston. However, it has not been a particularly productive week for the guard, who has not reached double digits in terms of field goals made in four straight outings. There were 15-point displays against both the Pacers and the Magic, then 20 points in a defeat to the Lakers. Across that stretch, Harden was six for 22 from three-point range. Astonishingly, he did not attempt a solitary free throw against Orlando.
Trae Young
To say Young has gone cold from deep recently is an understatement. The Atlanta Hawk landed five of six attempts in the season-opener against the Bulls, but since then has managed just nine successful long-range shots, including going a combined one for 14 in his most recent three appearances. Understandably, then, his average for points per game has dipped from 28.17 on January 3 to 17.67 for the past week.
Russell Westbrook
A quadriceps injury will keep Westbrook sidelined for at least a week. His early form with the Wizards has been steady, including reaching double digits for points in all of his seven games for the franchise. Where there has been a dip for the former NBA MVP is in rebounding. He was up at 11.20 per game for the season by January 3, but he has averaged 6.00 for the past week following reduced contributions in defeats to the 76ers and the Celtics.
Blake Griffin
Griffin hit with eight of 16 three-point shots for Detroit against the Cavaliers on December 26, but his output from long range since suggests that number could prove to be a post-Christmas outlier when compared to the rest of the season. In the past week, the 31-year-old has landed two from deep out of 18 tries for the struggling Pistons. His overall field goal percentage is down on his career mark too (37.6 per cent from 49.7 per cent), explaining why he is averaging 13.9 points per game.
Jamaican-born Rugby League player Abevia McDonald has signed a one year contract with English League One outfit London Skolars. He is now the second Jamaican domestic player to sign a professional contract following the footsteps of Nathan Campbell who signed for the Toronto Wolfpack in 2016.
A former student of Excelsior Community College in Kingston, McDonald had signed a first-team contract with the team in 2019 but saw no action as the League One or the Championship were cancelled because of the Covid-19 Pandemic.
He began playing while at EXED in 2013 and developed into a quality player who helped the Red Sharks to the National Club title in 2018. It would be his last game in Jamaica as he migrated to England shortly thereafter. He eventually joined the Skolars Reserve team and scored against Super League outfit Wigan Warriors.
He would go on to score more than a dozen tries for the team which led to his first-team signing in 2019.
"His journey is yet another example of inspiration for the local rugby league community. We know that some domestic players have the ability to crack semi-pro teams in the UK if afforded the opportunity,” said Jamaica’s Head Coach Romeo Monteith.
“We have and have had some quality players come through our local systems. He impressed me from the first time I saw him play, he has blistering speed and it's good to see him stick with the game and push on to where he is today."
The Philadelphia Eagles have fired head coach Doug Pederson, according to reports.
Pederson had been said to be meeting with owner Jeffrey Lurie to outline his plans for the future, with his position thought to hinge on that discussion.
It seems he failed to convince Lurie and the franchise hierarchy to keep him in the post, with NFL Media's Tom Pelissero first reporting his firing.
Pederson, who took over in 2016, led the Eagles to their first Super Bowl title in his second season at the helm.
Philadelphia's first Lombardi Trophy came at the end of a storied playoff run, in which unheralded backup Nick Foles led them to glory after then-MVP candidate Carson Wentz suffered a serious knee injury.
The Eagles overcame the New England Patriots 41-33 in Super Bowl LII but Wentz's struggles to recapture his 2017 form following his comeback from injury played a significant role in Philadelphia's failure to scale the same heights in Pederson's subsequent three seasons.
Pederson oversaw playoff campaigns in 2018 and 2019, the latter despite a roster decimated by injury.
However, he attracted increased criticism amid a dismal 2020 season that saw a sharp decline from Wentz, who was eventually benched and forced to watch the final few weeks of a 4-11-1 year from the sideline.
His replacement, rookie quarterback Jalen Hurts, was one of the few bright spots for Philadelphia. The controversial in-game benching of Hurts in favour of Nate Sudfeld for the Week 17 loss to the Washington Football Team saw Pederson placed under further scrutiny as he faced accusations of overt tanking for draft position.
Pederson had claimed he made the move to evaluate Sudfeld, but the future at quarterback in Philadelphia is now a matter for his successor and general manager Howie Roseman.
In five seasons with the Eagles, Pederson compiled a 42-37-1 record in the regular season. He went 4-2 in the playoffs.
The NBA has postponed Monday's game between the New Orleans Pelicans and Dallas Mavericks, as well as the Boston Celtics' clash with the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday, due to health and safety protocols amid the coronavirus pandemic.
It is the second straight game Boston has had postponed; Sunday's visit from the Miami Heat was called off just hours before tip-off.
The total number of games in the league that have not taken place as scheduled because of COVID-19 issues this season now stands at four.
Entering this past weekend, the only game the NBA had called off was the Oklahoma City Thunder-Houston Rockets matchup on December 23 - the second day of the season.
On Sunday, Boston had seven players out due to health and safety protocols – and nine overall – while Miami did not have the required eight players because of contact tracing after guard Avery Bradley was ruled out.
Dallas reportedly did not have enough players cleared on Monday because of contract tracing.
It remains to be seen if the Celtics or Mavericks will be able to play their next games on Wednesday. Boston is scheduled to host the Orlando Magic, while Dallas is slated to visit the Charlotte Hornets.
The same uncertainty goes for the Heat, who are scheduled to visit the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday.
The European Champions Cup and Challenge Cup have been temporarily suspended after the French authorities ruled the participation of Top 14 clubs to be too much of a public health risk.
European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) made the announcement on Monday following a meeting last week with French government officials.
Due to concern over a new variant of coronavirus, the French government has decided to prevent its clubs from participating in games both in France and in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
It means the EPCR has been forced to suspend the Champions Cup with two rounds of the pool phase remaining. The Challenge Cup is in its preliminary phase.
The development would appear to place the 2021 Six Nations, scheduled to start with a meeting between France and Italy in Rome on February 6, in jeopardy.
Last year's Six Nations tournament was only completed in October because of the pandemic-enforced delay.
An EPCR statement read: "EPCR and the Ligue Nationale de Rugby took part in a meeting by audio conference last week with representatives of the French ministries of the Interior, Health and Sport, as well as of the President's office.
"Notable updates to EPCR's COVID-19 protocols were presented to the French authorities, including the addition of PCR tests no earlier than three days before matches in the tournaments, conforming to French government guidelines and supplementing the existing, meticulous contact tracing measures put in place with a view to limiting the risk of transmission.
"Against the backdrop of the recent detection of a new strain of coronavirus, the French government has directed that French clubs postpone their participation in EPCR's tournaments for the month of January, both for matches scheduled in France and for those due to be played in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
"On the basis of this directive, EPCR had no choice but to temporarily suspend the pool stage of the Heineken Champions Cup and the preliminary stage of the Challenge Cup.
"While respecting all further directives by governments and local authorities, and prioritising the health and welfare of players and club staff, EPCR, in conjunction with its shareholder leagues and unions, remains committed to trying to find a solution which will enable it to resume and complete the tournaments as soon as practicable.
"EPCR will be making no further comment at the present time."
The top two seeds are both out at the Abu Dhabi Women's Tennis Open after Sofia Kenin and Elina Svitolina suffered quarter-final defeats on Monday.
Kenin had won the two previous meetings against Maria Sakkari and appeared on course to retain her 100 per cent record when cruising through the opening set.
However, Sakkari hit back to stun the top seed, dropping just two more games as she rallied in emphatic fashion to triumph 2-6 6-2 6-0 after one hour and 23 minutes on court.
"I think I did way too many errors and I was hitting too big when I didn't have to. But I'm glad that once again I found the way to turn the match around," the ninth seed told reporters.
Next up for Sakkari will be Aryna Sabalenka, who extended her impressive winning run to 13 matches after coming through a three-set tussle with Elena Rybakina.
The fourth seed has not lost since going out at the 2020 French Open to Ons Jabeur - a result she avenged when the pair met on Sunday in the last eight in Abu Dhabi.
In the other half of the draw, Veronika Kudermetova once again got the better of Svitolina, ending the second seed’s hopes of success in the tournament.
Russian Kudermetova – who won their only previous meeting on the WTA Tour – came out on top in the deciding tie-break to triumph 5-7 6-3 7-6 (7-3).
She will take on another player from Ukraine next, Marta Kostyuk overcoming a nightmare opening set to beat Spaniard Sara Sorribes Tormo 0-6 6-1 6-4 and reach the last four.
Stephen Curry may have endured the worst shooting performance of his NBA career, but he felt the Golden State Warriors took a step in the right direction against the Toronto Raptors.
Although two-time MVP Curry was 2-of-16 from the floor for 11 points, the Warriors still managed to secure a 106-105 victory over the Raptors at Chase Center on Sunday.
It was the Golden State guard's poorest shooting display in a game when he attempted more than four shots, his previous worst having been going 2-of-15 for four points against the Portland Trail Blazers on Christmas Day in 2010.
The lacklustre performance followed on from Curry scoring nine three-pointers in a win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday – his 26th game with as many makes from beyond the arc.
Asked if before the season he thought he would be able to be as inaccurate as he was against the Raptors and still end up on the winning team, Curry replied with a grin: "Well, I never thought I'd go 2-of-16. So, I never even thought about that."
However, he felt the Warriors improving to 6-4 showed they are on the right path after a difficult start to the season.
"It means we're moving in the right direction," said Curry, who still managed to contribute nine rebounds and six assists.
"My offense, I expect it to be there every night. And obviously with how teams are defending night to night, being able to figure that out, but in terms of us having confidence across the board no matter who's out on the floor, I like where we're at right now in terms of guys stepping up, staying within ourselves, spotting different ways to execute on that end of the floor.
"But forget my shooting, we don't win a game like this without our defense taking strides in the right direction. We all understood that and that definitely won us the game with how ugly it was on the offensive end."
Curry does not expect there to be any long-term impact from one sub-par outing on the offensive end.
"I've shot 0-for-11 one time and 1-for-10 and all everywhere in between," Curry said. "So mostly it's just keep shooting, and eventually it will find its way.
"I think you kind of have to stay engaged on the other parts of the game, obviously defensively, trying to get rebounds, be a decoy sometimes if necessary.
"There's a lot of different ways that you can still be impactful if you're not shooting, but at the end of the day, just keep shooting. I'm not worried about that. At all."
Head coach Steve Kerr added: "I think we have enough talent, enough weapons to overcome a bad shooting performance, so I don't even know that I need to say anything.
"If it happens, these guys all look at the box score, they know what's going on. And they know by this time that the key to our team is our defense. And we were very good defensively again, so we're absolutely heading in a good direction."
The 2022 US PGA Championship will no longer be held at the Trump National Golf Club Bedminster.
The PGA of America announced on Sunday it had terminated its agreement to play the major at the course owned by United States president Donald Trump.
It comes just days after supporters of the president stormed the United States Capitol.
"The PGA of America Board of Directors voted tonight to exercise the right to terminate the agreement to play the 2022 PGA Championship at Trump Bedminster," PGA of America president Jim Richerson said in a statement.
"It has become clear that conducting the PGA Championship at Trump Bedminster would be detrimental to the PGA of America brand and would put at risk the PGA's ability to deliver our many programs and sustain the longevity of our mission," Richerson added in a video.
The decision to hold the tournament at the Trump National Golf Club Bedminster was made in 2014.
Anthony Davis led the way as defending NBA champions the Los Angeles Lakers continued their fine form with a 120-102 win over James Harden's Houston Rockets.
Davis, who sat out on Friday due to a groin strain, returned to score 27 points in Sunday's victory against the Rockets in Houston.
LeBron James posted 18 points, seven assists and seven rebounds as the Lakers won for the sixth time in seven games.
"[Tonight] was just A.D. being A.D. and just having him back in the line-up gives us a whole other dynamic both offensively and defensively," James said after the Lakers led by as many as 27 points.
Former MVP Harden finished with 20 points, while Rockets team-mate Christian Wood had 23 of his own.
It was a feisty game in Houston, where the Lakers' Markieff Morris and Rockets big man DeMarcus Cousins were both ejected in the opening half, while there were also five technical fouls and two flagrant fouls.
Kawhi Leonard reached a milestone after the Los Angeles Clippers held on to beat the Chicago Bulls 130-127.
Clippers star Leonard put up a season-high 35 points, including seven three-pointers, four assists and three steals to reach 10,000 career points.
Paul George contributed 28 points, seven rebounds and nine assists for the Clippers, who snapped a run of back-to-back losses.
The Bulls were led by Zach LaVine's season-high 45 points away to the Clippers in Los Angeles.
Durant stars on return
Back on the court following a three-game absence, Kevin Durant scored 36 points and collected 11 rebounds, but the slumping Brooklyn Nets still lost 129-116 at home to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander inspired the Thunder with 31 points.
Julius Randle's double-double of 29 points and 10 rebounds was not enough to lift the New York Knicks, who went down 114-89 to the Denver Nuggets. Nikola Jokic (22 points and 10 rebounds) propelled the Nuggets with a double-double of his own.
Curry struggles
While the Golden State Warriors trumped the struggling Toronto Raptors 106-105, Stephen Curry was uncharacteristically poor. Curry was just two-of-16 from the field, while he made only one of his 10 three-point attempts for 11 points in 38 minutes.
LeBron, the sniper!
James produced a moment of magic to unleash Kentavious Caldwell-Pope with a stunning left-handed pass from deep.
Sunday's results
Utah Jazz 96-86 Detroit Pistons
Los Angeles Clippers 130-127 Chicago Bulls
Oklahoma City Thunder 129-116 Brooklyn Nets
Denver Nuggets 114-89 New York Knicks
Los Angeles Lakers 120-102 Houston Rockets
Minnesota Timberwolves 96-88 San Antonio Spurs
Golden State Warriors 106-105 Toronto Raptors
Miami Heat-Boston Celtics (postponed)
76ers at Hawks
The high-flying Philadelphia 76ers (7-3) visit the Atlanta Hawks (4-5) on Monday. Doc Rivers and the 76ers are set to welcome back All-Star Joel Embiid, but Ben Simmons is expected to miss out after a depleted Philadelphia side – ravaged by coronavirus and injuries – lost to the Nuggets.
UFC president Dana White said he is meeting with Khabib Nurmagomedov as he presses the retired star for one more fight.
Khabib stunningly announced his retirement from the octagon after beating Justin Gaethje to defend the lightweight title at UFC 254 in October as he improved to 29-0, though the 32-year-old remains the champion.
White has retained hope of Khabib returning to the UFC, previously talking up the Russian trying to reach a flawless 30-0 record.
As Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier prepare to clash at UFC 257 in Abu Dhabi on January 23, White told ESPN: "I'm obviously meeting with him [Khabib] because I think that he should fight again.
"Look at what he did to Justin Gaethje. Look at what he's done to every opponent he has faced.
"I think he should fight again and I'm going to press him as hard as I can for one more."
White added: "As a promoter, you always want to see the best guys in the world, but at the same time, when a guy wants to retire, he probably should.
"The difference with a guy like Khabib is he's been through so much, and losing his dad was a major blow to him. Yet, his dad wanted him to hit 30-0.
"No matter what you think of Conor personally, Conor McGregor is not only one of the best in the world, but one of the best to ever do it. And right now, he's as focused as he's ever been.
"I don't know if this is going to be the same Conor after the Poirier fight, but if this Conor sticks around for the next year, how do you not do Khabib vs. Conor again?"
Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant is available for Sunday's contest against the Oklahoma City Thunder, though Kyrie Irving remains out.
Durant missed three consecutive games due to the NBA's coronavirus health and safety protocols, but the two-time champion and Finals MVP is set to return at home to the Thunder in Brooklyn.
After sitting out the 2019-20 season due to an Achilles injury, Durant is averaging 28.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game for the Nets this term.
Durant – the 2014 MVP – is also shooting 51.4 per cent from the field and 45.5 per cent from three-point range as Steve Nash's Nets sit at 5-5 in the Eastern Conference.
Nets team-mate Irving, meanwhile, will again be absent due to personal reasons.
NBA champion and six-time All-Star Irving has missed the past two games for the Nets.
Irving is averaging 27.1 points, 6.1 assists and 5.3 rebounds per game in Brooklyn this season.
The NBA has postponed the Boston Celtics-Miami Heat showdown due to health and safety protocols amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Sunday's contest was set to go ahead, despite the Celtics missing seven players – including star pair Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown – because of COVID-19 protocols, and nine in total.
But the NBA announced the postponement just hours before tip-off after a Heat player reportedly returned an inconclusive coronavirus test, leaving Miami without the required eight players to play due to contact tracing.
Heat guard Avery Bradley (health and safety protocols) had been ruled out of the game earlier in the day.
The Celtics were set to have the minimum eight players available against the Heat after Javonte Green, Semi Ojeleye, Grant Williams, Robert Williams II and Tristan Thompson were listed as outs pre-game.
Injuries had already forced Celtics pair Kemba Walker (knee) and Romeo Langford (wrist) to miss the scheduled meeting.
It comes as COVID-19 outbreaks impact the NBA following a coronavirus-hit 2019-20 campaign in the United States.
Eastern Conference leaders the Philadelphia 76ers were depleted for Saturday's loss to the Denver Nuggets after Seth Curry tested positive for coronavirus.
Contract tracing seriously impacted Doc Rivers' 76ers, who were without Curry, Tobias Harris, Matisse Thybulle and Vincent Poirier, paired with injures to All-Star duo Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons.
Philadelphia were only able to dress eight players against the Nuggets, though Mike Scott was unable to play due to a knee injury.
The Celtics own a 7-3 record in the Eastern Conference, ahead of last season's NBA Finals runners-up the Heat (4-4).
French Rugby Federation (FFR) president Bernard Laporte says there is "no question" that the Six Nations will be staged this year.
The Telegraph this weekend reported that the tournament was in doubt after the French sports ministry imposed a ban on playing cross-border elite sports with clubs from the United Kingdom due to a new strain of coronavirus.
With the European Champions Cup and Challenge Cup reportedly set to be suspended, the French government and Six Nations officials are expected to hold talks on Monday.
Yet Laporte does not believe there is any doubt that the competition, which starts in just four weeks' time, can be staged.
He told RMC on Sunday: "It's a puzzle, but I think we should not be alarmed for the Six Nations tournament.
"The tournament will be played, with a health protocol dictated by the government, and linked to this mutant virus. Everything went well in the autumn [when the Autumn Nations Cup was staged], so will the upcoming Six Nations tournament, I'm no more worried than that."
The former Les Bleus coach added: "We have a meeting at the beginning of the week with the ministry of sports, a meeting also with the Six Nations Council.
"But we already talked to each other every day, and today there is no question of considering anything, except that we will play the tournament."
France are due to face Italy in the first game of the Six Nations at Stadio Olimpico on February 6.
Sofia Kenin and Elina Svitolina fought back from the brink of defeat as both reached the Abu Dhabi Women's Tennis Open quarter-finals on Sunday.
Top seed Kenin fended off a match point in the second set before battling to a 3-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 victory over Yulia Putintseva at Zayed Sports City International Tennis Centre.
Putintseva was serving for a straight-sets win at 6-5 up in the second, but the tenacious Kenin forced a tie-break and rallied from 3-1 down to take the third-round match the distance.
The Australian Open champion secured three breaks in the decider to reach the last eight, hitting 35 winners to 25 from 13th seed Putintseva to set up a showdown with Maria Sakkari.
Svitolina, the second seed, was also on the verge of crashing out, but she hung in there to pull off a 6-2 6-7 (5-7) 7-6 (10-8) win over Ekaterina Alexandrova.
The world number five was a break down in the final set and saved two match points in a tense tie-break before finally seeing the back of her Russian opponent.
Ninth seed Sakkari beat two-time grand slam champion Garbine Muguruza 7-5 6-4 to give herself the opportunity to get the better of Kenin for the first time in three attempts.
Aryna Sabalenka stretched her impressive winning streak to 12 matches with a 6-2 6-4 success over Ons Jabeur, while Marta Kostyuk, Sara Sorribes Tormo, Elena Rybakina and Veronika Kudermetova also progressed.
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