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Duke Brotherhood Playoff Watch: Denver Out, Brooklyn Suddenly In Trouble

As Kyrie Irving may be down for the series after an ankle injury

By JD King
Brooklyn Nets v Milwaukee Bucks - Game Four
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - JUNE 13: Kyrie Irving #11 of the Brooklyn Nets is injured during the first half of Game Four of the Eastern Conference second round playoff series against the Milwaukee Bucks at the Fiserv Forum on June 13, 2021 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 
Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images

In Sunday’s Duke Brotherhood playoff action, Austin Rivers and the Denver Nuggets were eliminated by the Phoenix Suns while Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets, after a hot start in the series with Milwaukee, now have serious cause for concern.

As we said after Game Three, there was no reason to expect a comeback by Denver. Phoenix has won each game with ease and after MVP Nikola Jokic was booted following a flagrant foul, there really was no hope for the Nuggets.

Rivers, who had started in the playoffs, came off the bench in this one to score five points in 21 minutes in the 125-118 loss.

Phoenix now awaits the winner of the Jazz-Clippers series where Quin Snyder’s Jazz are up 2-1.

Brooklyn has been without James Harden for all but one minute of the series with Milwuakee and now they may have to go on without Kyrie Irving as well as the former Duke star went down with an ankle injury in the second quarter and was seen in a walking boot after the 107-96 loss.

Irving scored 11 points in his 17 minutes.

His absence puts a tremendous amount of pressure on Kevin Durant, the last of Brooklyn’s Big Three.

On Monday, Seth Curry and the Philadelphia 76ers visit Atlanta to take on Cam Reddish’s Hawks (Reddish is still out with an injury but may return soon) and Snyder’s Jazz stop off at the Staples Center to try and push out to a 3-1 lead over Luke Kennard and the LA Clippers.

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