SALT LAKE CITY — Tosan Evbuomwan may be light on NBA experience, but he’s sure making the most of the playing time he’s getting now.
The Nets’ new two-way player poured in a career-high 22 points and was even on the floor in the waning moments of their 112-111 overtime loss in Utah on Sunday.
“Amazing … always under control,” coach Jordi Fernandez said. “Looks like a guy that has been there before and he’s 23. Very happy to see him, keep working with him, keep developing him. He’s doing his job.”
The Englishman drew contact and went to the line to hit go-ahead free throws in the waning seconds of overtime. But after giving up a Utah basket, the Nets had two seconds left to get off a good look and couldn’t.
“Both plays on defense and offense didn’t work the way we wanted to,” Fernandez said.
“We couldn’t get a shot off. I fumbled it. I didn’t get a shot off,” said Evbuomwan, who has drawn praise from his coaches and teammates for his poise.
Ben Simmons logged 31:38 but exceeded his minutes limit and left midway through the overtime.
“I played more than I probably should have in that OT. But I wanted to win, so that’s just the competitiveness in me. So I stayed out there as long as I could. … So I tried to play that role and did what I could,” Simmons said.
“We have to be responsible,” Fernandez said. “A lot of times, true competitors always will tell you, ‘I want to stay in.’ We talked about some other players, you got to save them from themselves.
“Ben, I’m sure that if I asked him, he wanted to be in, but at the same time, we know where we started this summer. We know where we are at right now. We like the progression, and we’re going to keep doing that. We’re going to do what’s best for him, his body, first and then for the team.”
Simmons is all but certain to miss one of the next two as well.
He still hasn’t been cleared to play both ends of back-to-backs yet with Brooklyn playing at the Trail Blazers on Tuesday and at the Clippers in Los Angeles on Wednesday.
D’Angelo Russell missed his fourth consecutive game Sunday with a right shin contusion.
Cam Johnson sat out a fifth straight with a right ankle sprain suffered in the waning seconds of their Jan. 2 victory in Milwaukee.
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