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.
With Brooklyn’s Noah Clowney sidelined by a sore back, Terance Mann started against his old Clippers team. And the veteran not only got a first-quarter tribute video, but an ovation from the L.A. crowd for which he’d played five-plus seasons.
Mann – who had eight points and three rebounds in 19 minutes – had been a second-round draft pick by the Clippers in 2019 and started in the 2021 Western Conference Finals before being traded to Atlanta midway through last season.
“Yeah, I mean, The Wall, I love The Wall. You know, I was the one that introduced The Wall to the world,” said Mann. “So, I feel like I’ve got a special bond with those guys up there and everybody up there. Yeah, man, you know I love the fans, they love me. Some part of me will always be a Clipper.”
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.
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