Brooklyn’s complicated season suffered another small bump on Monday when coach Steve Nash was kicked out after entering league health and safety protocols. The Nets broke the news shortly before the team headed home against the Toronto Raptors.

Nash held his usual pre-game press conference, saying he had no further conversations with Nets guard Kyrie Irving about his vaccination. Irving is not eligible to play home games due to New York City’s mandate that professional athletes be vaccinated against the coronavirus.

The Nets had an outbreak within the squad in December, forcing three games to be rescheduled.

Now in his second season as NBA head coach, both with Brooklyn, Nash hopes to bring the Nets back to contention after injuries, trades and local vaccination mandates made it virtually impossible for him to perform. consistent rotation. Newly acquired Kevin Durant (knee) and Ben Simmons (conditioning) remain out of the roster, as does Irving for home games.

Brooklyn (32-29) entered the night in eighth place, three full games behind sixth-place Boston, for the final guaranteed Eastern Conference playoff spot. The Nets came within a win of the Conference Finals last season before losing to eventual champion Milwaukee.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.