Out for 12 games since he last played in Nov. 14's 101-93 loss to the Denver Nuggets, Kyrie Irving has missed almost the past month of the Brooklyn Nets' early 2019-20 season.

But as his right shoulder impingement recovery progresses, the star point guard is trending in the right direction.

While the Nets are likely to be without him on the court for the next week, head coach Kenny Atkinson provided a positive update on Irving, who could be back at practice within the next week or two.

Kyrie Irving's injury has kept the star point guard out for the Nets' past 10 games, including Wednesday's 130-118 win over the Hawks at State Farm Arena, and the absence could extend "a few more weeks."

Irving, who has been sidelined with a right shoulder impingement since starting Nov. 14's 101-93 loss to the Denver Nuggets, would be "lucky" if he could return several weeks from now, according to Brian Lewis of the New York Post.

Head coach Kenny Atkinson addressed Irving's injury before the team's leading scorer and facilitator missed his third straight game Nov. 20, when he sat for the Nets' 101-91 win over the Charlotte Hornets.

Ian Begley, SNY.tv | Twitter | 

Former Celtics great Kevin Garnett wasn't surprised that Kyrie Irving left Boston in the offseason to sign with the Brooklyn Nets. 

"No," Garnett said during an interview in New York to promote the film, 'Uncut Gems,' which stars Garnett and Adam Sandler and will be released on Christmas. 

Garnett explained why he wasn't shocked that Irving didn't want to re-sign with the Celtics. 

Kyrie Irving has been out of the lineup since Nov. 14 with a right shoulder impingement. The 27-year-old was averaging 28.5 points over his first 11 games in a Nets uniform, and his absence left a major void in the team's offensive production.

Enter Spencer Dinwiddie. Since being inserted into the starting lineup, the Colorado product has been the Nets' linchpin, averaging 24.5 points and 7.8 assists over the last eight games. The Nets are 6-2 in those games. 

"The role is completely different so obviously, there is a change there," Dinwiddie said after Friday's 112-107 win over the Celtics. "My approach to the game is very similar either way. It's whatever the team needs to win and then the role kind of dictates what that is. Sometimes it will be defense, sometimes it will be offense."

On Wednesday, Nets point guard and former Celtic Kyrie Irving was booed throughout the game, despite not even being in attendance as he recovers from a shoulder injury.

After the game, Irving spoke out on his Instagram story, calling the criticism from Boston fans "ignorant and obtrusive." Even Celtics guard Jaylen Brown -- a teammate of Irving's in Boston -- said there was no need for Celtics fans to boo Irving. 

The Nets and Celtics played each other again on Friday, as Irving was in attendance at the Barclays Center, but did not play. Some of his former Celtics teammates, including guard Marcus Smart and center Robert Williams, shared hugs with Irving and spoke about their relationship with him after the game.

After the Nets' 112-107 win over the Celtics on Friday afternoon, head coach Kenny Atkinson told the media that Kyrie Irving will not play on Sunday against the Heat in Brooklyn.

"First thing about Kyrie, he started on-court work, which is a real positive sign for us," Atkinson said. "He will be out for Miami. And then we'll see how it progresses. The fact that he started the oncourt work is good news for us. Out for Miami and then we'll see going forward."

It will be the ninth-straight game that Irving has missed, as the point guard is dealing with a right shoulder impingement that has kept him out since Nov. 14.

Nets star point guard Kyrie Irving will miss his eighth-straight game on Friday when the team plays the Celtics in Brooklyn, the team announced.

Irving hasn't played since Nov. 14 against the Nuggets, as the New Jersey native has been dealing with a shoulder injury.

It was announced on Nov. 22 that Irving would not play in the team's next three games -- against the Knicks, Cavaliers, and Celtics.

Kyrie Irving took to Instagram after Wednesday's 121-110 loss for the Nets against the Celtics at TD Garden in Boston featured boos and chants directed toward the point guard, and the actions evidently did not sit well with teammate Kevin Durant.

Irving, who fired back at Celtics fans' criticism by calling the actions "ignorant and obtrusive," was not in attendance for the anticipated return to face his former team as he missed the Nets' seventh straight game with a right shoulder impingement.

Irving's absence did not stop Celtics fans' negativity, despite Boston head coach Brad Stevens' pregame plea and wing Jaylen Brown's postgame take.

Kyrie Irving was the subject of boos and chants from Celtics fans on Wednesday night as the team hosted the Nets.

Irving, who wasn't even traveling with the team as he continues to sit out with a shoulder injury, drew the ire of Celtics fans for electing to leave the team to sign a max contract with the Nets this past offseason.

Following the Celtics' win over Brooklyn, Irving fired back against all the criticism coming his way, via a post to his Instagram story. 

Kyrie Irving with thoughts on his return to Boston (via kyrieirving/IG) pic.twitter.com/SKSNGaeixs

- SNY (@SNYtv) November 28, 2019

Kyrie Irving did not play -- let alone attend -- at TD Garden in Boston, where the Nets suffered Wednesday's 121-110 loss to the Celtics, but the crowd of 19,156 let their feelings be known about the team's former star point guard as they booed throughout the night.

Irving missed his seventh straight game as he recovers from a right shoulder impingement, but Celtics fans still chanted "Kyrie sucks" among other actions to share their thoughts on the former Boston star, who spurned the team for the Nets after two years from 2017-19.

But one of Irving's former teammates, Celtics guard Jaylen Brown, believes that the fans should focus less on frustrations from the past two seasons and instead pay attention to Boston's strong start.

Kyrie Irving isn't playing for the Nets on Wednesday night. In fact, he's not even with the team in Boston. 

But Celtics fans didn't seem to care.

As the Nets and Celtics matched up at TD Garden in a game that was supposed to be Irving's first trip back to Boston since leaving the Celtics for the Nets in free agency, the Boston fans had a lot to say about their former point guard.

During the first quarter, loud "Kyrie sucks!" chants broke out throughout the TD Garden.

Kyrie Irving is not with the Nets in Boston for Wednesday's 7 p.m. game at TD Garden against the Celtics, but Brad Stevens received plenty of questions before tip-off about the team's point guard from 2017-19.

Out for the seventh straight game as he nurses his right shoulder impingement, Irving misses his return to Boston but he still gets backlash from fans, including signs posted outside the arena calling Irving a "coward."

Stevens, who coached Irving for the past two seasons in Boston and has been with the Celtics since 2013, said during his pregame media availability that the team's lack of success did not fall on the point guard.

As the Nets get set to take on the Celtics, Kyrie Irving is not the only Brooklyn player who will miss Wednesday's 7 p.m. tip-off at TD Garden in Boston.

Along with their star point guard, who is out for the seventh straight game as he recovers from his right shoulder impingement, they revealed Wednesday afternoon that center DeAndre Jordan would also sit due to left ankle soreness.

Starting shooting guard Caris LeVert (right thumb surgery) remains out indefinitely while star forward Kevin Durant (right Achilles rehab) is still unlikely to return in time for the 2019-20 season.

Mitchell Robinson and Jarrett Allen are both terrific players who should be impact players for the Knicks and Nets in the coming years. But Robinson finds the notion that Allen has emerged as the best young center in New York to be laughable.

After the Nets won on Sunday night -- the second time they've beaten the Knicks this season in as many tries -- @NetsDaily tweeted that Allen had "proven" himself to be better than Robinson, writing:

"In 3-game winning streak, @_bigjayy_ has averaged 17 and 12. He's also the NBA leader in shooting percentage so far this season."

Imagine if Richard Jefferson played for the Knicks?

The former Net from 2001-08 joked that he knew his time in the NBA would be over if New York were to express interest.

Jefferson retired after the 2017-18 season with the Denver Nuggets, but revealed on the YES Network broadcast of Sunday's game at Madison Square Garden in New York between the Knicks and Brooklyn Nets that the former gave him a call before he decided to end his 17-year career.

Big changes could be coming to the NBA in the near future.

According to a report from ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the league is considering making sweeping changes that include a shortened regular season, an in-season soccer-style, tournament, reseeding in the playoffs, and a new play-in scenario for the playoffs.

Wojnarowski reports that the NBA is in "serious discussions" with the NBA Players Association and broadcast partners in regard to these new proposals, with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver behind the majority of the changes, and that the league is hoping to implement them for the 2021-22 season, with the framework needing to be established by this April's board of governors meeting.

The Nets held the lead from start to finish in Friday's 116-97 win over the Sacramento Kings at Barclays Center.

After the game, head coach Kenny Atkinson was proud of the active defense played by his team, and also singled out the performance of Spencer Dinwiddie, who scored 23 points and added seven assists, starting in place of the injured Kyrie Irving.

"Defense as outstanding again," said Atkinson. "I thought our activity, we talked about it pregame, just having a more active group. I thought they were active. A lot of deflections. Forced some turnovers, so that's good news.

"Another good team win. Obviously, Spencer is doing it at a high level consistently since Kyrie's been out, but really good team win." 

Following the Nets 116-97 win over the Sacramento Kings on Friday night, the team announced that Kyrie Irving will not play in the team's next three games due to his shoulder injury.

The Nets announced that they evaluated the injury on Friday, and deemed that their All-Star point guard will miss the next three games against the Knicks (which would have been his first game at MSG since signing with the Nets), the Cavaliers, and the Celtics (his two former teams).

Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson addressed the media prior to the Nets' matchup with the Kings, saying there was still no real timetable for Irving to return.

Ian Begley, SNY.tv | Twitter | 

Wondering why the Nets are hovering below .500 nearly 15 games into the season? Kenny Atkinson offered a succinct answer to that question earlier this week: "Below-average teams are inconsistent, and that's what we are right now."

The head coach made that statement on Monday, after the Nets lost for the fourth time in five games.

Sacramento Kings big man Richaun Holmes is now playing in his fifth NBA season, and after three years in the Eastern Conference with the Sixers, he's gotten to know the New York basketball scene pretty well.

On Thursday, Holmes caught up with SNY Insider Ian Begley to talk New York hoops.

The Kings are in town to take on the Nets on Friday night, and Holmes believes the Nets present a tough challenge.

No Kyrie Irving? No problem -- for Wednesday, at least. 

The Nets missed their star point guard for the third straight game, but unlike the past two losses, the collective effort from both ends of the floor picked up the pace as Brooklyn outlasted the Charlotte Hornets 101-91 at Barclays Center in New York.

Center Jarrett Allen's monster double-double on 22 points and 17 rebounds dominated the box score, but 20 points apiece from Spencer Dinwiddie and Taurean Prince told the story of how the Nets (6-8) beat the Hornets (6-9).

Kyrie Irving is unavailable for the third straight game Wednesday as the Nets host the Hornets, but Brooklyn head coach Kenny Atkinson does not believe the star point guard's injury has long-term implications.

About two hours before the Nets (5-8) and Charlotte (6-8) tipped off at 7:30 p.m. ET from Barclays Center in New York, Atkinson met with reporters and fielded questions about Irving's right shoulder impingement.

After the issue kept Irving out of the Nets' past two games, last Saturday's 117-111 road win over the Chicago Bulls and Monday's 115-86 loss to the Indiana Pacers, Atkinson explained that the decision to keep the team's leading scorer and facilitator out was complicated.

When the Nets return to action Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. from Barclays Center in New York, Brooklyn (5-8) hosts the Charlotte Hornets (6-8) without Kyrie Irving for the third straight game.

The team's leading scorer and facilitator at 28.5 points and 7.2 assists per game through the first month of the 2019-20 season, Irving remains sidelined due to his right shoulder impingement, the Nets announced Wednesday afternoon.

The point guard played last Thursday's 101-93 loss to the Nuggets in Denver after he entered the as questionable on last Wednesday's injury report, which included shooting guard Caris LeVert's right thumb sprain.

Spencer Dinwiddie led all scores with 28 points, but that was the lone bright spot for the shorthanded Nets as they fell to the Pacers at Barclays Center, 115-86. 

Head coach Kenny Atkinson credited Indiana after the game, saying they dominated in all aspects despite also dealing with similar injury problems.

Kyrie Irving will not be in the lineup when the Nets take on the Bulls Saturday at 6 p.m, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. 

The guard has been dealing with a right shoulder impingement, and his two lowest point totals of the season have come in the last three games.

Nets guard Caris LeVert successfully underwent surgery on Thursday to repair ligaments in his right thumb, the team announced.

LeVert is expected to return in four to six weeks, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

The injury was originally diagnosed as a minor sprain, and LeVert was expected to miss his second straight game on Thursday.

After the Nets revealed that the backcourt duo of point guard Kyrie Irving and shooting guard Caris LeVert landed on Wednesday's injury report, Brooklyn announced a timely replacement.

The Nets signed free agent guard Iman Shumpert, as Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN first reported, filling the team's roster spot until small forward Wilson Chandler's 25-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs ends in the middle of December.

Shumpert is set to join the Nets (4-6) for Thursday's 10:30 p.m. ET game against the Nuggets (7-3) at Pepsi Center in Denver, according to Shams Charania of Stadium.

As the Nets enter the final two stops of their five-game road trip, they do so without two of their top three scorers and faciliators.

Point guard Kyrie Irving and shooting guard Caris LeVert appeared on the Nets' injury report Wednesday with varying issues.

Ahead of Thursday's 10:30 p.m. ET game against the Nuggets (7-3) at Pepsi Center in Denver, Irving is questionable with a right shoulder impingement while LeVert is out due to a right thumb sprain.

The Nets will be without Caris LeVert against the Jazz in Utah on Tuesday.

The team announced that the shooting guard suffered a thumb sprain during Sunday's 138-112 loss to the Suns. LeVert took a fall in the game which is the presumed cause of the injury. 

LeVert logged 26 minutes in the contest and had his finger examined after the game. The 25-year-old told reporters that he had an X-ray on the injury following Sunday's game and then had an MRI on Monday. A short time later the team announced he'd sit out Tuesday. 

When the Nets signed Kevin Durant, they understood their 2019-20 season was likely to take place without the star forward.

But since Brooklyn (3-4) tipped off the NBA schedule two weeks ago, Durant has made some notable strides. 

As seen Wednesday by Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News, Durant worked out during the Nets' practice at the HSS Training Center, stepping into 15-foot shots.

The Nets fell to the Pistons Saturday night in a game that saw them blow a 14-point lead in the third quarter, but the night wasn't all bad for their starting point guard, Kyrie Irving, who picked up his third career triple-double in the loss.

Irving, who just started his ninth season in the NBA, finished the game with 20 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists to notch the feat.

Interestingly enough, Irving now has one triple-double with each team he's played for, having gotten his first career triple-double with the Cavaliers back in 2014 (21 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists) and his second with the Celtics earlier this year in March (31 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists).

With James Harden and Russell Westbrook in the backcourt, the Houston Rockets feature one of the most potent offenses in the NBA.

But the Nets were able to come away with a 123-116 win over Houston on Friday night in Brooklyn, and according to head coach Kenny Atkinson, the team's defense, specifically in the third quarter, was the difference in the game.

The Nets have had a slow start to their highly anticipated 2019-20 season, going 1-3 so far this year.

Despite their record, the team is still building team chemistry and have started to see improvements.

"It's never easy because we're all competitors and we all want to win," guard Spencer Dinwiddie said. "I wouldn't say it's the end of the world or super hard either. I think we all had that type of mentality coming into it, like we all understood it's going to take time to work a new group in. KD's not coming back, but we're building a foundation for him to come back. We have a lot going on."

Ian Begley, SNY.tv | Twitter | 

Kyrie Irving responded to an ESPN report that stated some in the Nets' organization are concerned over his 'infamous mood swings.' 

He said he isn't worried about other people's perceptions and isn't going to respond emotionally to the report. He added that he expects reports like this to surface about him and he doesn't 'have to be perfect' for the Nets or anyone else. 

Kenny Atkinsion and the Nets defended Kyrie Irving after Tuesday's report by ESPN stated that the team was dealing with "mood swings" from the new star point guard, and the fourth-year head coach said more of the same 24 hours later.

Before the Nets (1-2) hosted the Indiana Pacers (0-3) for Wednesday's 7:30 p.m. ET tip-off at Barclays Center in New York, Atkinson was asked if the coach felt the need to speak with Irving about the report.

Atkinson, who called the report "completely false" Tuesday, doubled -- and tripled -- down Wednesday.

Ian Begley, SNY.tv | Twitter | 

Speaking from his own experience, Nets coach Kenny Atkinson said on Tuesday that he's never had any concern over star point guard Kyrie Irving's mood. 

"That is completely false. In strictly speaking in my observation and my experience with him so far, it's absolutely not true," Aktinson said when asked about an ESPN report that stated the organization has concerns about Irving's mood swings. "I'm the moody one, I really am. I'm cranky and I have my ups and downs. If there's just natural human behavior where guys are up and down, that's different. From my perspective, I give Kyrie an A-plus in his consistency and his spirit. It's been great." 

In a profile on Irving, Kevin Durant, DeAndre Jordan and the Nets, ESPN's Jackie MacMullan, reported that the Nets are 'queasy' over Irving's changing mood. It's a part of his personality that has reportedly been brought up multiple times over his career. 

Despite the Nets record after their first three games of the season, PG Kyrie Irving has already taken in the reins of the team in terms of showing off his scoring ability and leading them on the floor. 

But, according to ESPN's Jackie MacMullan, the Nets have already experienced Irving's interesting personality as well.

Irving has been documented to having mood swings in the past, especially with his Celtics squad last season. And MacMullan is reporting that the Nets have seen it already during their China trip, leaving some team officials "queasy."

With seven seconds left in regulation, Joe Harris inbounded to Kyrie Irving from the sideline to the right wing and the Nets guard positioned himself against Grizzlies rookie Ja Morant.

With his back against Morant, Irving pivoted right and faced the basket.

As the seconds ticked off the clock, Irving went left and pulled up off a pump fake for the potential game-winning shot, but Morant time the attempt perfectly, stuffing the jumper and sending the tie into overtime.

Just three games into his new chapter in Brooklyn, Kyrie Irving has made Nets -- and NBA -- history.

Sunday's 134-133 overtime loss to the Memphis Grizzlies featured Irving's game-high 37 points, resulting in franchise and league milestones through three games.

Irving became the first Net ever to total 26 points or more in a season's opening three games. With his 113 points through the stretch, he overtook guard James Harden, who compiled 106 points in his initial three games as a member of the Houston Rockets to start the 2012-13 season.

Earlier this week, Kyrie Irving stirred up Knicks fans by saying that the Nets "were going to take over the entire city."

But after Friday night's 113-109 win over the Knicks at Barclays Center, Irving, who hit the go-ahead three-pointer in the final minute, downplayed the Knicks-Nets rivalry.

After a tough OT loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wendesday night, the Nets got their first win of the season, beating the rival Knicks 113-109 on Friday night.

Head coach Kenny Atkinson was proud of his team's effort after the win.

"Sometimes you gotta find a way," Atkinson said. "I thought our defensive effort was good, take the third quarter out, I thought overall our defense was much much better."

It's just the first Knicks vs. Nets game of the season, and tempers have already started to flare.

With about 1:30 left in the second quarter, Nets star point guard Kyrie Irving drove toward the basket and missed a layup. Irving fell to the ground and caught his own rebound, Knicks power forward Bobby Portis then tried to grab the ball from Irving, who was still on the ground.

Nets forward Taurean Prince then ran over and attempted to shield Irving from Portis. 

Kyrie Irving suggested earlier this week that New York was well on its way to becoming a Nets town, and he doubled down on that belief at a promotional event on Thursday.

In a video from the event posted on Twitter, Irving mentioned the team will miss Kevin Durant as he recovers from his torn Achilles, but notes they are not going to simply wait around for the 12-time All-Star to return. 

"So for real, that's my best friend and I want to send good health to him," Irving said. "But for the time being, we're going to take over the whole entire city. It's about us."

Kyrie Irving dropped 50 points in what doubled as a single-game record between the Nets and NBA for a player's debut with a new team, but the star point guard's valiant effort ultimately fell short at the end of Wednesday's 127-126 overtime loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

On the last possession out of a Nets timeout with 14.5 seconds left, Irving did what head coach Kenny Atkinson wanted -- get the ball in the hands of the team's best player and see what happens in the final moments -- but Irving's jump shot from just beyond the free-throw line rimmed off the right side at the buzzer.

Irving, who made 17 of 33 shots (51.5 percent) across the floor and went 7 for 14 (50.0 percent) from three-point range, had no interest in entertaining the historic individual peformance.

The Brooklyn Nets fell 127-126 to the Minnesota Timberwolves in overtime of Wednesday's 2019-20 season opener at Barclays Center. >> Box Score

Six things to know from Wednesday's game...

1) Kyrie Irving's homecoming to the Nets, the team he grew up rooting for while the franchise was in New Jersey, was historic. With 50 points on 17-of-33 shooting, Irving set the Nets' -- and the NBA's -- single-game record for scoring in a player's debut. Irving added a 7-of-14 clip from three-point range, plus seven assists and eight rebounds, for the Nets' offense in what was an all-around effort. Perhaps most notable, Irving did not turn the ball over once. Despite a facial fracture that handicapped him throughout the preseason, Irving did not wear a mask as he made his season debut. 

Kevin Durant's Achilles injury in Game 5 of last year's NBA Finals helped change the landscape of the NBA. 

Though the Warriors won that game, the Raptors went on to take home the NBA title, ending the Warriors' shot at a three- peat. The injury also seems to have impacted Durant's free agency decision, as he left the Warriors to join Kyrie Irving with the Nets. 

Durant was recently a guest on The Athletic's Knuckleheads Podcast with former NBA players Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles, and the 10-time All-Star spoke openly about suffering that injury.

With the regular season set to start for the Nets on Wednesday night against the Timberwolves, Kyrie Irving is ready to embrace the year with his new teammates and group together there experiences on the court into a shared leadership role.

"I think that we all share a certain responsibility in the leadership here," Irving said. "I think that some of my past experiences, there could be a sense of alienation when you think about someone naming you as just the leader of the team and falling all in your court."

"I want to share those responsibilities with those guys--obviously we have different roles, that every single night there's a consistency that you have to live up to, and your game. But overall, there shouldn't be a different communication that I have with [Duzanan] Musa or Caris [LeVert] just because I am a nine-year vet, or anything like that."

Kevin Durant was on Monday's episode of "How Hungry Are You?" by Bleacher Report, hosted by former teammate Serge Ibaka, and spoke on his decision to sign with the Nets this offseason instead of the Knicks.

"I just like the organization as far as just the direction they were going in," Durant told Ibaka. "A bunch of young guys that played in the playoffs before. I think the Knicks players, they're good young players but they still need a little bit more experience to match where I was in my career. So it was nothing major against the Knicks. I just think Brooklyn is farther along in the process of being a contender."

Durant was surely pointing to Kyrie Irving and former Knick DeAndre Jordan when describing players who have a lot of playoff experience, but really it's the entire team as a whole, with the Nets making the playoffs last season and a number of the players from that team still in Brooklyn.

Taurean Prince and the Brooklyn Nets agreed on a two-year, $29 million dollar contract extension Monday, as first reported by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and confirmed by SNY's Ian Begley. 

Prince, who was traded to the Nets this summer for Allen Crabbe, the draft rights to No. 17 overall 2019 draft pick Nickeil Alexander-Walker and a protected 2020 first round pick, will now remain in Brooklyn through the 2021-2022 season.

The initial move for Prince helped the Nets make space for Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant and DeAndre Jordan.

The Nets continue to round out their roster for the next few seasons -- the team also extended Caris LeVert this summer to a multi-year contract.