e Irving injured as Bucks even series against Nets with Game 4 win After dropping the

Kyrie Irving injured as Bucks even series against Nets with Game 4 win
After dropping the first two games, the Milwaukee Bucks evened the series 2-2 with a physical 107-96 win over the depleted Brooklyn Nets on Sunday. The Nets' Kyrie Irving will undergo further tests Monday after initial X-rays on his right ankle came back negative, coach Steve Nash said after the game.

Irving left the arena on crutches with a walking boot on his right foot, a source told The Athletic.

The guard was ruled out at halftime after spraining his right ankle in the second quarter of the Eastern Conference semifinals. Irving was hurt after landing on the foot of Antetokounmpo after jumping for a layup. He turned his ankle and stayed down as play went to the other end; soon after, he limped back to the locker room.

Forward Giannis Antetokounmpo powered the Bucks' offense, with 34 points and 12 rebounds, while Khris Middleton (19 points) and Jrue Holiday (14) had eight and nine assists, respectively.

Irving had 11 points on 5-of-11 shooting and five rebounds before leaving. Forward Kevin Durant led the Nets with 28 points, 13 rebounds and five assists.

The Nets starters were substituted out of the game with 4:28 left in the game as they trailed by 15 points. The Bucks starters were pulled shortly afterward.

Shortly after the conclusion of the game, Fiserv Forum was evacuated as the arena's fire alarm went off. A mechanical issue in the administrative offices of the arena triggered the alarm, but there was no fire, the Bucks and Fiserv Forum said in a statement. Media members were eventually permitted to re-enter the arena.

Brooklyn has battled absences throughout the season. Irving missed time in January for personal reasons and then had to leave a May game against the Bulls after taking an elbow to the face. Fellow big three members Durant and James Harden missed time due to hamstring strains, and Durant also missed games with a thigh injury.

The Nets are still without Harden, who injured his hamstring in the first minute of Game 1 and hasn't played since. Forward Jeff Green returned to the lineup Sunday for the first time since injuring his foot May 25 against the Celtics, posting eight points and five rebounds in 27 minutes.

After the loss, Nash said he won’t rush Harden back if Irving is not able to play in Game 5 or if Harden pushes to play, adding that the injuries are "independent" of each other.

Entering Sunday, Irving was averaging 24.1 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game in the playoffs.

Game 5 is Tuesday back in Brooklyn, with Game 6 set for Thursday in Milwaukee. Game 7, if necessary, will be Saturday in Brooklyn.

Analyzing Irving's injury
Virginia Zakas, Inside Injuries: X-rays were negative, but the MRI will be more important as it will show if there is any ligament damage. Irving was limping pretty significantly as he headed to the locker room and appeared to be in pain when the medical staff was touching the ankle.

I expect Kyrie to miss multiple games. If it’s a mild sprain he could be back in the next week (at less than 100 percent), but a more significant sprain would need 5-8 weeks to heal.

How the Nets adapted without Kyrie
Alex Schiffer, Nets beat writer: With Irving and Harden out, the Nets had Mike James run their offense with Durant getting the majority of the touches. Nash said the Nets offense is much more predictable, which made it easier for the Bucks defense to get set.

Durant had P.J. Tucker on him and Giannis waiting for him if he got past Tucker. Joe Harris struggled for the second straight game and the Nets elected to try and play at a higher tempo to try and erase the deficit, which sent Blake Griffin to the bench.

Milwaukee kept the Nets around, but Brooklyn was never able to make it a game after Irving departed.

How the Bucks' approach changes if Irving misses time
Eric Nehm, Bucks beat writer: While James has been good throughout the series for the Nets, there is no replacing Irving. Once Irving went off the floor, the Bucks were able to send even more help in Durant's direction without any fear that the other Nets could really hurt them on the offensive end.

Durant, who made just nine of his 25 shots on Sunday, saw a wall of Bucks defenders every time he touched the ball and the Bucks were able to make him uncomfortable. If Irving cannot get back on the floor for Game 5, Durant should expect much of the same from the Bucks' defense.

How important is Kyrie to the Nets' title hopes?
Schiffer: Irving was Brooklyn's most reliable star in the regular season, as his 54 games played were most than both Harden and Durant, who both missed significant time due to hamstring strains. Harden left Game 1 of the Bucks series early due to a reaggravation of his hamstring. Nash said Harden is progressing but has yet to offer a timeline for his return.

The Nets could still beat the Bucks with Harden and Durant healthy, but Irving's ankle sprain means Durant is Brooklyn's lone healthy star.

Kyrie Irving crossover sent Thanasis Antetokounmpo into another galaxy; Twitter reacts
Existence of another dimension was put on display Sunday during the Nets-Bucks playoff matchup.

The pivotal nature of Game 4 between Brooklyn and Milwaukee was taken a bit literally by Milwaukee's Thanasis Antetokounmpo, who pivoted into that other dimension or realm after an absolutely absurd Kyrie Irving crossover in the first quarter.

Ultimately, Antetokounmpo contested the shot as he quickly got back to his feet and forced Irving into a miss. The Nets would open an 11-point lead after that, though, before the Bucks came storming back in the back-and-forth affair.

Unfortunately for Irving, he exited the game with an actual ankle injury in the second quarter after landing on Giannis Antetokounmpo's foot on a layup attempt.

Before that, Twitter noticed the soul-taking, ankle-breaking Irving and delivered relentless trolling at Thanasis Antetokounpmpo's expense:

Kyrie Irving exits Game 4 with right ankle sprain
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving missed the second half of Game 4 of his team’s second-round playoff series with the Milwaukee Bucks after spraining his ankle midway through the second quarter.

Irving left the game and headed to the locker room with 5:52 left in the period, leaving Brooklyn without two of its superstars. The Nets announced at halftime he had a sprained ankle and wouldn’t return to the game.

Coach Steve Nash said after the game that X-rays taken on Irving’s ankle were negative.

Irving had just made a basket in the paint when he landed awkwardly. On his way down, Irving’s left leg appeared to hit Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo’s right leg before the Nets guard landed.

He remained on the floor as play initially continued on the other end of the court.

When the game eventually stopped on a change of possession, Nets team officials checked on Irving before he headed to the locker room.

Irving had 11 points, five rebounds and two assists when the seven-time All-Star left the game with the Nets trailing 44-40.

The Nets, who entered the day with a 2-1 series lead, already are playing without nine-time All-Star and 2018 MVP James Harden due to right hamstring tightness. Harden hasn’t played since getting hurt in the opening minute of Game 1.

LeBron James distraught by concerning Kyrie Irving injury
LeBron James is concerned about the health of his former title-winning teammate.

The Lakers star tweeted his prayers for Kyrie Irving after the Nets guard suffered a right ankle sprain Sunday, causing him to exit in the second quarter of Game 4 between the Nets and Bucks in Milwaukee.

Irving, who won an NBA championship with James and the Cavaliers in 2016, was ruled out for the rest of the game.

His status for the rest for the series remains unclear.

“@KyrieIrving!!!! F—K,” James wrote on Twitter, alongside an emoji indicating thoughts and prayers.

Irving went up for a layup with 6:04 left in the second quarter and landed awkwardly on the foot of Milwaukee forward Giannis Antetokounmpo. He remained down as play continued before leaving the floor for the locker room.

James, whose Lakers team was eliminated in the first round, and Irving haven’t always had the best relationship — especially near the end of their time in Cleveland.

The King, however, appears generally concerned about the health of his former running mate.

Ex-Celtics player suggests Kyrie Irving's ankle injury is karma after logo stomp
Glen Davis' animosity apparently stemmed from Irving's actions from Game 4 against Celtics in first round
Former Boston Celtics player Glen Davis was less than sympathetic with Kyrie Irving on Sunday when the Brooklyn Nets star suffered an ankle injury.

Irving suffered a sprained ankle when he accidentally stepped on Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo’s foot in the second quarter of their Game 4 Eastern Conference Semifinals game. Irving went down in pain and was unable to return to the game.

Davis made known there was no love lost for Irving, especially after the controversy when Irving stepped on the Celtics’ logo after a Nets win over Boston during their playoff series.

"That’s the same ankle stomp on lucky with," Davis wrote on Instagram.

Irving’s logo stomp happened after the Nets’ victory over the Celtics in Game 4 of the first round of the Eastern Conference championship. He appeared to stomp and scrape his foot on the face of the Celtics logo while greeting his teammates as the clock hit triple zeroes.

Irving, who’s had a rocky relationship with the Celtics organization after he left the team for the Nets before the start of the 2019-20 season, was booed every time he touched the basketball at TD Garden.

As he walked back to the locker room at that time, he had a water bottle thrown at him. It was just one of a slew of fan incidents that have occurred during the NBA playoffs.

As he walked back to the locker room at that time, he had a water bottle thrown at him. It was just one of a slew of fan incidents that have occurred during the NBA playoffs.

Irving suffered the injury midway through the second quarter of the Nets’ Game 4 showdown with the Milwaukee Bucks. After attacking the rim for a lay-up, he had an awkward landing after Giannis Antetokounmpo put his foot on Kyrie’s landing spot. The Brooklyn playmaker then accidentally stepped on Giannis’ foot, and he rolled his ankle as he went down in pain.

Irving then limped off to the locker room and was eventually ruled out with a right ankle sprain.

Irving suffered the injury midway through the second quarter of the Nets’ Game 4 showdown with the Milwaukee Bucks. After attacking the rim for a lay-up, he had an awkward landing after Giannis Antetokounmpo put his foot on Kyrie’s landing spot. The Brooklyn playmaker then accidentally stepped on Giannis’ foot, and he rolled his ankle as he went down in pain.

Irving then limped off to the locker room and was eventually ruled out with a right ankle sprain.

As head coach Steve Nash noted, Kyrie Irving will undergo more tests to determine the extent of his injury. With that said, given how the injury looked on videos, it is likely the veteran guard will miss Game 5 of the series.

Of course, the Nets won’t rush Irving back given that sprained ankles can be tricky and could get worse if it is not 100 percent healed. The