Nets G Irving breaks facial bone, is day-to-day

Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving suffered a fracture when he took an accidental elbow to the left side of his face during a pickup game and is listed as day-to-day, the team said Wednesday. The incident occurred Tuesday at team facilities, and Irving was taken to the hospital as a precaution, general manager Sean Marks said later that day.

"I think this is a case of us being cautious with all our guys. A stray, inadvertent elbow playing pickup games -- yes, I did see it -- those type of plays happen frequently in the same game," Marks told reporters on Tuesday. "This is just a case where he caught the elbow, and now we're going to do our due diligence." Irving, 27, is entering his first season with the Nets after signing a four-year, $136.5 million contract. The Nets are counting on him to lead the team until fellow free-agent signee Kevin Durant returns from surgery for a torn Achilles.

This is the latest facial injury for Irving. He broke a bone in his jaw in 2012 when he was with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The injury occurred when he took a hard fall to the court during a game in Milwaukee.

Early in the 2017 season as a member of the Boston Celtics, he also sustained a broken facial bone when a teammate inadvertently elbowed him. A two-time All-NBA selection and six-time All-Star, Irving averaged 23.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and 6.9 assists in 67 games with the Celtics last season.