Nic Claxton active against Pistons, DeAndre Jordan out

Jarrett Allen will have one of his fellow Brooklyn Nets big men back in the fray on Saturday against the Detroit Pistons.

Nic Claxton will be available for Kenny Atkinson on Saturday after missing Brooklyn’s game on Thursday against the Los Angeles Lakers due to a left shoulder contusion. The Nets rookie suffered the injury during Brooklyn’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers while trying to defend Ben Simmons as the guard drove to the rim.

The Nets will now be able to go with their normal two-big man rotation after Jarrett Allen was forced to handle the Lakers’ frontcourt as the team’s only true big.

Normally, Allen has DeAndre Jordan ready to take over off the bench. But the veteran big man has been out, as well.

And Jordan will remain sidelined for Saturday’s game against the Detroit Pistons. This will be the fourth game he misses due to his right middle finger dislocation, which he suffered against the Sixers on January 15.

RELATED: Report: Spencer Dinwiddie to come off Nets bench in Detroit

DeAndre Jordan, Nic Claxton questionable vs. Pistons

The Brooklyn Nets frontcourt could be reloaded for Saturday’s game against the Detroit Pistons.

The Brooklyn Nets only had one big man at their disposal against the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday, making Jarrett Allen the team’s lone rim protector against LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Dwight Howard (JaVale McGee did not play.)

DeAndre Jordan (right middle finger dislocation) and Nic Claxton (left shoulder contusion) were both injured and sidelined.

Both suffered their injuries against the Philadelphia 76ers, though during different meetings.

Jordan has not played since January 15, missing three games in the process. The veteran big man had the stitches in his right middle finger removed on Thursday.

Claxton has only missed one game due to the shoulder contusion.

Nets fans could see each of them back on the floor on Saturday. The team announced on Friday Jordan and Claxton have each been upgraded to questionable for Brooklyn’s upcoming game against the Detroit Pistons.

RELATED: Theo Pinson assigned to Long Island for game vs. Red Claws

RELATED: Report: DeAndre Jordan had stitches removed from finger on Thursday

Kyrie Irving available vs. Lakers, DeAndre Jordan out

The Brooklyn Nets have their superstar point guard back for Thursday, but they’ll be down two big men against the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Brooklyn Nets will have Kyrie Irving back on the floor for Thursday’s game against the Lakers after he missed the Martin Luther King Jr. Day matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers due to right hamstring tightness.

But depth is still going to be a problem for Brooklyn on Thursday. Particularly at the forward position.

Both DeAndre Jordan (right middle finger dislocation) and Nic Claxton (left shoulder contusion) have been ruled out against the Lakers — whose lineup features Anthony Davis, JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard, not to mention LeBron James.

Claxton suffered his injury when the Nets rookie took a hard fall while defending Sixers guard Ben Simmons at the rim on Monday. Jordan’s injury also happened against Philadelphia, but that came during their matchup two games prior, back on January 15.

This will be the third game Jordan misses due to his finger injury.

RELATED: Nets recall Theo Pinson from Long Island

RELATED: DeAndre Jordan earns NBA Cares Community Assist Award for December

Kyrie Irving, DeAndre Jordan’s status upgraded before game vs. Lakers

Nic Claxton may not be available for the Brooklyn Nets when they face the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday.

After missing Brooklyn’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers, Kyrie Irving has been upgraded to probable for the Nets’ matchup with LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers at Barclays Center on Thursday.

Irving missed the game due to right hamstring tightness. He had been dealing with discomfort the day before the game against Philly, and the Nets decided to play it safe and hold the point guard out.

Additionally, DeAndre Jordan has been upgraded to questionable for Thursday’s game.

Jordan missed the last two games after he dislocated his right middle finger back on January 15 when the Nets visited the Sixers.

Nic Claxton has been downgraded to questionable.

Kenny Atkinson told reporters at practice the Nets rookie is dealing with shoulder soreness as a result of the fall he took in Monday’s game.

RELATED: WATCH: Kevin Durant shoots around at Nets practice

RELATED: Nets trying to manage Joe Harris’ fatigue

Kenny Atkinson feels Nic Claxton has the hunger to match his talent

Nic Claxton is taking full advantage of his opportunity in Brooklyn, having scored 29 points for the Nets between his last two performances.

For the second time in as many games, Nic Claxton was the bright spot for the Nets. Unfortunately for Brooklyn, the rookie’s efforts have come in home losses against elite Eastern Conference teams — the most recent one coming Monday in a 117-111 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Between the two games, Claxton has shown his strong play from earlier in 2019-20 — when DeAndre Jordan battled an ankle injury — wasn’t a fluke. The Nets rookie makes highlight-reel plays, and he makes the hustle plays.

While Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are the future in Brooklyn, Claxton has given Nets fans another reason to be excited about what’s to come. And based on Kenny Atkinson’s comments to reporters after Claxton’s 15-point performance on Monday, the organization feels great about the direction the rookie is trending in, as well:

He’s got big-time talent. Big-time hunger. Wants to be great — and that’s a lot of guys in this league, but I think he’s got something else in there. He’s got a knack [for the game]. [With] his athleticism, he could hang with a team like [the Sixers]. It’s his strength — we saw on the court, he’s definitely gotta get stronger. But once he gets stronger — and he can shoot the three. That bodes well for us in the future.

Jordan is set to be re-evaluated this week, so he could be re-activated before Thursday’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers. If the veteran big man is available, Claxton’s minutes will likely take a hit.

Nets drop MLK Day matchup with Sixers 117-111

Nic Claxton had himself another impressive showing against the Philadelphia 76ers, but the Brooklyn Nets took another loss on Monday.

Nic Claxton put on a show in his 17 minutes of work against the 76ers, but he and the rest of the Brooklyn Nets could not hold off Philadelphia on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

For the second time in as many weeks, the Sixers defeated the Nets and also scored 117 points, versus Brooklyn’s 111 on Monday.

Claxton scored 15 points, setting a new career-high in his young career. He went 6-for-8 from the floor (1-for-2 from 3-point territory). The Nets rookie also grabbed four rebounds and two assists.

In his last 36 minutes of action, Claxton has score 29 points while going 13-for-20 from the floor.

Spencer Dinwiddie was back in charge of the offense again with Kyrie Irving out (right hamstring tightness). He led the Nets in scoring with 22 points on 6-for-17 shooting.

Taurean Prince (12), Jarrett Allen (13) and Joe Harris (12) each finished in double figures. Prince (12 rebounds) and Allen (13) also logged double-doubles.

In addition to Claxton, there were others who came off Brooklyn’s bench and played well. Caris LeVert scored 16 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out six assists — finishing second on the Nets in the category to Dinwiddie (seven).

Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot score 12 points on a perfect 4-for-4 shooting (3-for-3 from three, 1-for-2 at the free-throw line).

Kenny Atkinson on Nic Claxton: ‘He’s got something extra’

There weren’t a ton of things that went right for the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday, but rookie Nic Claxton had himself an impressive game.

Although Nic Claxton only plays for the Brooklyn Nets whenever DeAndre Jordan is injured, the rookie has received quite a bit of praise from his teammates throughout the season.

Spencer Dinwiddie thinks Claxton is one of the most talented players on the roster. The rookie showed signs of that being the case in Saturday’s loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, when he scored 14 points on 7-for-12 shooting, grabbed six rebounds and blocked three shots all in the span of 19 minutes.

Kenny Atkinson is all in on Claxton, as well. But the rookie still has some things he needs to work on in order to reach his full potential, as Brooklyn’s head coach expressed following Saturday’s loss:

He’s gonna be really good in this league. I hope I don’t say that about every single guy that’s on our roster, but he’s got something extra. He’s a really fast athlete who’s got great hands. He’s a quick reactor, quick jumper. He’s got a knack for the game, great instincts. And then he plays incredibly hard He’s working on his strength. (Once) he gets his strength and gets his legs under him, he’s going to be a heck of a player for us.

With Jordan set to have his injured finger check out this week, Claxton should have another opportunity to log serious minutes in Brooklyn on Monday when the Philadelphia 76ers come to Barclays Center.

Nic Claxton Nets’ lone bright spot in 117-97 loss to Bucks

The Brooklyn Nets couldn’t handle Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton on Saturday.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton were too much for the Brooklyn Nets to handle on Saturday. The Milwaukee duo combined for 49 points on 19-for-32 shooting, helping the Bucks cruise to a 117-97 win over the Nets at Barclays Center.

The Nets weren’t nearly as efficient as their counterparts on Saturday. As a team, Brooklyn shot 33.3% from the floor and 30.6% from 3-point territory.

Brooklyn’s most efficient scorer was none other than Nets rookie Nic Claxton, who was called up from his G League assignment with Long Island to fill in for the injured DeAndre Jordan. In his 19 minutes of work, Claxton scored 14 points on 7-for-12 shooting.

The rookie also had six rebounds and blocked three shots.

Kyrie Irving led the Nets with 17 points on 6-for-15 shooting (2-for-6 from deep). He also had six rebounds, six assists and four steals.

Taurean Prince scored 13 points on 4-for-15 shooting (3-for-12 from 3-point territory).

Spencer Dinwiddie scored 11 points. In 20 minutes of work, Luwawu-Cabarrot went 3-for-5 from the floor (2-for-3 from long-range) and 2-for-2 at the line to finish with 10 points.

Jarrett Allen only scored five points, but he grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked four shots.

DeAndre Jordan won’t need surgery for dislocated finger

While DeAndre Jordan is sidelined with a dislocated finger, Brooklyn Nets rookie Nic Claxton will help off the bench.

The Brooklyn Nets saw yet another player suffer an injury and head to the locker room early when DeAndre Jordan dislocated his right middle finger in Wednesday’s loss in Philadelphia against the Sixers. The big man did not return and was set to be evaluated on Thursday.

On Friday, the team informed reporters at Nets practice Jordan would not need surgery. He will be re-evaluated next week, per Alex Schiffer of The Athletic.

In the meantime, Nets rookie Nic Claxton will get some playing time. Brooklyn recalled the rookie on Thursday from his assignment with the organization’s G League team, the Long Island Nets.

Since Thanksgiving, Claxton has only appeared in one game for Brooklyn. He was sidelined for much of December due to a left hamstring injury, but Claxton also doesn’t receive much time when both Jordan and Allen are available.

In Claxton’s last game with Long Island (Wednesday), he scored 11 points on 5-for-9 shooting (0-for-2 from 3-point territory).

UGA’s Nicolas Claxton called back up to Brooklyn Nets

Former Georgia Bulldog basketball standout Nicolas Claxton is heading back to the Brooklyn Nets. following DeAndre Jordan’s finger injury.

Former Georgia Bulldog basketball standout Nicolas Claxton is heading back to the Brooklyn Nets. Claxton was previously playing in the G-League, before he got called back up to the Nets following DeAndre Jordan’s finger injury.

Claxton, who has been playing for the Long Island Nets, figures to play a role in Brooklyn’s rotation upon his return to the NBA. The Nets just returned Kyrie Irving, but have struggled to stay healthy this season.

Claxton looked good for the Long Island Nets, where he put up a 20-10 game in only 22 minutes:

Claxton last played in the NBA against the Orlando Magic on the sixth of January. Claxton has appeared in ten games this season for the Brooklyn Nets.

The rookie out of UGA is averaging 2.7 points and 2.2 rebounds in twelve minutes per game. He’ll have a chance for more playing time following DeAndre Jordan’s injury.

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