The Brooklyn Nets (20-30) are 10 games below .500 which means that the window for them to turn their season around in time to make the playoffs is closing. As they look to move forward with the rest of their season by hoping to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday, they will be doing so severely shorthanded.
The Nets announced on Wednesday that they will be without Dorian Finney-Smith, Cam Johnson, Day’Ron Sharpe, and Lonnie Walker IV for Thursday’s matchup against the Cavaliers. This is arguably the most shorthanded that the Nets have been this season as they are missing four key rotation players at an important time of their season.
Sharpe has missed the past 13 games with his left knee hyperextension while Finney-Smith has missed the last five games with his left ankle sprain. Johnson (left adductor tightness) and Walker (left hamstring tightness) suffered their respective injuries in Monday’s 109-98 loss to the Golden State Warriors.
In Tuesday’s 119-107 loss to the Dallas Mavericks in Kyrie Irving’s return to Brooklyn for the first time since he was traded at last season’s traded deadline, Ben Simmons entered the starting lineup as the power forward. Simmons is not on the injury report as of the writing of this article so he will most likely be in the starting lineup again while still playing with a minutes restriction.
Nets status report for tomorrow night's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers:
Dorian Finney-Smith (left ankle sprain), Cam Johnson (left adductor tightness), Day'Ron Sharpe (left knee hyperextension), and Lonnie Walker IV (left hamstring tightness) are OUT.
— Sharif Phillips-Keaton (@SharifKeaton) February 7, 2024
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