The Nets sent injured starters Cam Johnson and Nic Claxton to practice with G-League Long Island on Wednesday.
They offered no timeline on either, but acknowledged Johnson is closer to returning than Claxton.
“Yeah, long practice, and kind of two different segments of the practice. The back end, the second half of the practice, Harry [Giles IV] and Cam Johnson and Nic were able to participate, scrimmage,” Jacque Vaughn said before the Nets’ 100-93 win over the Clippers.
“Both got up and down, and no adverse reaction that I’ve received from the performance staff, and we’ll see how they respond [Thursday].
“No timeline. You know, really just expose them to a different atmosphere of playing and scrimmaging. You don’t get that opportunity a bunch throughout the course of the year, and both made it through it.”
Both Johnson and Claxton got hurt in Brooklyn’s season opener and missed their seventh straight game Wednesday night.
While Claxton was out with a sprained ankle — one he has said is actually a high-ankle sprain, a more serious variety — Johnson has been dealing with a left calf strain.
That Johnson was initially listed as doubtful Wednesday before being ruled out is a sign he’s further along.
“He’s in the system as doubtful, just being honest with you. And then I don’t want to compare the two; they’re two different entries and they both have their own pace of getting back. I think you can lean into saying that because Cam was reported as doubtful that he probably closer to playing then Nic is. Fair assessment,” said Vaughn, careful to state that both are moving forward.
“They’re both improving. In the Twitter world, I don’t want you to write that they’re not improving. They’re both improving. But we listed Cam Johnson as doubtful which probably means he’s closer to playing than Nic is.”
Both rookie first-round picks, Noah Clowney and Dariq Whitehead, are practicing with Long Island and could make their pro debuts in Friday’s G-League season opener.
Clowney told The Post both Johnson and Claxton looked solid.
“We had we had a kind of joint thing [Wednesday], it was in Brooklyn. Practice where they kind of got in and give us some more quality reps against more talented players on things like that,” Clowney said. “It sort of helped them get back on their feet.
“It’s been good to see them playing comfortable. Yeah, not just playing basketball, [but] playing comfortable, look like they’re still confident, etcetera. So yeah, it’s been good.”
Mikal Bridges played his 400th consecutive regular-season game. The next-longest active streak belongs to Kevon Looney, with just 201 in a row.
It’s the first 400 straight games played streak since Tristan Thompson logged 447 in a row from Feb. 10, 2012 to April 4, 2017.
The Nets grabbed a season-high 14 offensive rebounds, resulting in 18 second-chance points. Brooklyn has had a season-best 10 blocks to go with 10 steals, focusing on being more disruptive on the defensive side.
Backup center Day’Ron Sharpe (11 points, season-high-tying 10 rebounds) notched his first double-double of the season. He had nine points in the pivotal fourth quarter, capping the 6-0 run that put the Nets up for good.
Lonnie Walker IV had a season-high 21 points after being listed as probable with left knee soreness.
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