Kevin Durant Ruled Out for Nets vs. Lakers Due to Hamstring Injury

Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant will miss Thursday's game against the Los Angeles Lakers, Malika Andrews of ESPN reported Wednesday. 

This marks the third game Durant has missed since Saturday as he works his way back from a mild hamstring strain. 

Durant missed the entirety of the 2019-20 campaign in order to recover from a ruptured Achilles' tendon, but he came right back to lead the Nets this season.

Through 19 games, the 10-time All-Star is averaging 29.0 points on 52.4 percent shooting from the field and a career-best 43.4 percent from deep while collecting 7.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game. 

The star makes up part of Brooklyn's new Big Three alongside Kyrie Irving and James Harden, who was acquired from the Houston Rockets on Jan. 14.

When all are healthy, the group is such a commanding presence offensively that the Nets are seemingly unstoppable, but their defense could use work. They rank third-worst in the league in points allowed (117.9) and are 25th in defensive efficiency. 

To offset the damage when any of the three are off the court, it's imperative that the others step up to fill the gap. 

Bruce Brown and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot will likely step up to fill the hole in the lineup.