Kevin Durant’s 53 points guided the Nets to a marquee win over the Knicks on Sunday, but all eyes were focused on a unique situation taking place on the sidelines as the game began.
While Brooklyn handled business in a battle of the boroughs, Kyrie Irving, still barred from playing in home games despite a change in the city’s vaccine mandate, watched on as a high-profile spectator rather than on the bench with his team.
Irving, who remains unvaccinated, has not played in Barclays Center this season.
Although New York City mayor Eric Adams decided to lift the city’s COVID restrictions on March 7, Irving is still ineligible to play in games because of a mandate requiring those who work for a New York-based business to be vaccinated.