The Nets suffered a one-sided 126-89 thrashing by the Clippers on Sunday night in Los Angeles, but it wasn’t for lack of effort from Nic Claxton.
The starting center gutted through a finger injury suffered in Friday’s loss to the Celtics, playing with a bandage on his right pinky. He was slated to have imaging on the finger Saturday morning, but the results weren’t available yet.
“Yeah, I think it’s his right hand. I know that he’s going to play. He’s got some discomfort, but I really give him credit,” coach Jordi Fernández said of Claxton, who finished with six points and five rebounds in 24 minutes.
“He finished [Friday’s] game, and then he’s willing to be out there. Obviously, we care about his health, and everything is fine. Everything’s fine. So, credit to him for wanting to play [and] compete with his teammates.”
Midway through the third quarter, Claxton was raked across the hand by Kawhi Leonard, going up for a shot that was blocked with 6:52 in the period. He grimaced in pain and was clutching his hand for several moments afterward, but stayed in the game.
Starting power forward Noah Clowney was out after having been listed as doubtful with back soreness. Michael Porter Jr. moved over from small forward, and Terance Mann got a start on the wing.
Mann received a first-quarter tribute video. He’d been a second-round draft pick by the Clippers back in 2019 and even started games in the 2021 Western Conference final before a trade to the Hawks midway through last season.
Rookie Nolan Traore was out against the Clippers with an illness after a career-best 21 point effort Friday.
Cam Thomas sat out with a sprained left ankle.
“He’s sore. He’ll be out [Sunday] and we hope that he’ll be back soon. We don’t know exactly when,” Fernández said of Thomas. “So, going through the proper work and making him feel better and then have him back on the court when we can.”
With the Nets shorthanded in the backcourt, rookie Ben Saraf was recalled from Long Island and made his first NBA appearance since Dec. 6. The point guard finished with six points in 17 minutes off the bench.
“Improvement. All our guys that have played under Mfon [Udofia, Long Island Nets head coach], they’ve done a great job getting better every game competing,” Fernández said. “And it’s not just about them; it’s about playing within a system and making the group competitive. So, happy with what we’re seeing.”
The Nets play Tuesday in Phoenix. Suns star Devin Booker is out with a right ankle sprain.