Nic Claxton was sidelined Sunday through the Nets’ win over Chicago with a sprain of the identical left ankle that value him eight straight video games earlier this season.
The Nets’ beginning middle twisted it throughout Saturday’s victory over Miami.
With 1:09 left within the first quarter in opposition to the Warmth, Claxton went down and was checked out by coaching workers. He ultimately walked off underneath his personal energy, and went down the tunnel to the locker room.
Claxton ended up checking again in with 7:34 left within the half and ending the sport with 13 factors, six rebounds and three blocks in 24 minutes 4 seconds of taking part in time. However he was sidelined Sunday in opposition to the Bulls.
“Yeah, so that you noticed within the recreation the opposite day,” Nets coach Jacque Vaughn mentioned beforehand. “He form of tweaked that ankle once more. It’s the identical one.
“I feel he may be listed as possible. He’ll do his warm-up and hopefully he’s able to go. He did take part in our shootaround earlier.”
After initially being listed as possible, Claxton was downgraded to questionable earlier than being scratched lower than an hour earlier than tipoff.
Claxton suffered the preliminary excessive ankle sprain within the Oct. 25 season-opening loss to Cleveland, lacking over two weeks and never returning till Nov. 12.
Vaughn and the Nets had been anticipating injured Cam Thomas to renew apply this week. They’re nonetheless hopeful he’ll be match to, though with no official apply days on the docket, they could should get inventive.
“Yeah, you didn’t take part in shootaround or no matter we had this walk-through [Sunday, Monday’s] an off day, in order that form of places him in a tricky place for us to schedule an precise apply for him,” mentioned Vaughn. “So hopefully we’ll get to some extent the place we are able to simulate some issues with some video guys and likewise with some G-League guys possibly on this week developing.”
Thomas — whose 26.9 factors can be ninth within the league if he certified — missed his eighth recreation in a row with a sprained left ankle. Ben Simmons (nerve impingement) missed his ninth straight, and Dennis Smith Jr. was out with a lower-back sprain.
Dorian Finney-Smith bought the nod as a small-ball stretch 5 with Claxton out, ending with 9 factors and 4 rebounds. He entered the sport fifth within the league in catch-and-shoot 3-pointers made at 40 and made 3 of seven from 3-point vary Sunday evening. His 45.1 share from deep was fourth amongst gamers who had tried a minimum of 90 3s.
“He’s going to get alternatives, and hopefully we unleashed that mentally after I mentioned to him ‘Shoot eight 3s, bro. Go forward, shoot them. We would like you to shoot them, we imagine in you. You’ve performed it previously,’ ” Vaughn mentioned. “The final three, 5 years he was 40-something % on nook 3s. … So he has the résumé behind it and we wish to encourage him to maintain capturing.”
Cam Johnson was pressured out of Sunday’s win with proper leg cramping, the second recreation he’s left early this season on account of cramping.
“Some cramping. … That’s why he couldn’t end the sport for us,” mentioned Vaughn
Johnson had 10 factors and a career-high six assists. He shot 4 of 8 general and a pair of of 5 from deep.