Nets look to end slide vs. Pacers

Injury-plagued Brooklyn returns to Barclays

December 4, 2024 By John Torenli, Sports Editor Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Nic Claxton and the Nets will try to avoid a season-high fourth straight loss Wednesday when they host the Indiana Pacers in Downtown Brooklyn. AP Photo by Charles Rex Arbogast

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Cam Johnson is questionable, Ziaire Williams and Dorian Finney-Smith are out, Ben Simmons expects to play and Cam Thomas, Noah Clowney and Jaylen Martin are still on the mend.

An ever-growing injury report has been the most consistent part of the Brooklyn Nets’ first season under coach Jordi Fernández.

But the 41-year-old Badalona, Spain, native believes in a “next-man up” mentality.

“I’m gonna go into every game believing that we have a chance to win,” Fernández insisted following Monday night’s 128-102 loss in Chicago.

After last week’s 3-0 west coast swing had the Nets (9-13) believing they could start climbing the Eastern Conference standings, they dropped two in a row at home to Orlando and got drubbed in the Windy City.

Only Sunday’s narrow defeat to the Magic qualified as a competitive NBA game during this skid for Brooklyn, which will try to avert a season-high fourth consecutive loss when it hosts the Indiana Pacers at Downtown’s Barclays Center Wednesday night.

But the fiery rookie coach isn’t into making excuses. Especially after his shorthanded team gave up 72 points in the second half of Monday’s blowout defeat.

“I don’t care who’s playing,” Fernández said. “If they are wearing a Nets uniform, I’m gonna go out there and believe that we’re gonna fight, compete, and we’re gonna have a chance.”

They just might against the Pacers (9-13), who have also dropped three straight overall and seven in a row on the road.

Indiana will arrive on the corner of Atlantic and Flatbush off Tuesday’s 122-111 loss in Toronto.

Tyrese Haliburton put up 30 points for the Pacers, who are winless away from home since Nov. 4, and hardly resemble the team that went to the conference finals a season ago.

“The product we’re putting on the floor right now as a group is embarrassing,” Haliburton told the Associated Press. “There needs to be a reality check right now.”

Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers will carry a seven-game road losing streak into Barclays Center when they visit the Nets Wednesday. AP Photo by Darron Cummings

The Nets simply need as many healthy bodies as they can find.

Johnson, sidelined by an ankle sprain, may be able to suit up. He had 26 points in Sunday’s loss to the Magic here and is averaging a career-best 18.1 points per game this year.

That might make him attractive trade bait if Brooklyn falls any further in the East. The 6-foot-8 forward tried to make a go of it Monday before Fernández shut him down.

“He wanted to try to see how he was feeling, and he’s out. … We’ll see how he feels (Tuesday) and then we’ll go from there,” Fernández revealed.

Williams’ ailing knee will keep him sidelined for a second straight game, Finney-Smith (ankle) hasn’t hit the hardwood since the Nets came back from Phoenix last week, and Simmons sat out Monday after logging a season-low 12 minutes due to ongoing back issues.

The 6-foot-10 playmaker has been plagued by knee and back injuries since arriving in Brooklyn midway through the 2022-23 campaign, when the Nets still boasted a super-star laden lineup featuring Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.

Simmons told the New York Post that he expects to play against the Pacers.

Thomas, the team’s leading scorer with 24.7 points per game, won’t be reevaluated for another two weeks due to a left hamstring strain suffered in Phoenix last Wednesday.

Clowney (ankle) and Martin (knee) are also both out for at least another week or so.

Even some of the Nets who did suit up against the Bulls were either working their way back into playing shape or just returning from long absences.

Day’Ron Sharpe saw his first action of the year off the bench after sitting out since training camp with a hamstring injury, managing only four points in 16 minutes.

Starting center Nic Claxton, who has been battling back issues throughout the season, had 11 points on 5-of-10 shooting with eight rebounds. Claxton has missed six games this year after inking a four-year, $100 million pact last summer.

Brooklyn did get a career-high 18 points from seldom-used forward Dariq Whitehead in Chicago, and ever-reliable point man Dennis Schröder provided 16 points and 10 assists.

None of it added up to much for a frustrated Fernández, who is trying to avoid falling out of contention and into full rebuild mode in Brooklyn.

“This is not our identity,” he said.

Wednesday’s tip-off is slated for 7:30 p.m.

Ben Simmons may be one of the injured Nets returning to action Wednesday when Brooklyn hosts Indiana. AP Photo by Randall Burton

NOTHING BUT NET: The Nets went 1-3 against the Pacers last season, with the one win coming in the final meeting between the teams at Barclays on April 3. Clowney posted career highs of 22 points and 11 rebounds in the 115-111 triumph, which still couldn’t prevent Brooklyn from being eliminated from the postseason for the first time in six years that evening. … After Indiana leaves town, the Nets will get a three-day break before Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks visit Barclays on Sunday at 3:30 p.m.