The Nets got back key players Friday night but lost their starting center for at least a week.
While Ben Simmons and Dorian Finney-Smith returned for the Nets in their 124-122 loss to the Knicks at the Garden, Nic Claxton is now out.
The young big man is dealing with a lower back strain.
On Thursday, the Nets’ 6-foot-11 defensive anchor was listed as questionable for the game with lower back tightness.
“He’s had the epidural and right now we have him reevaluated in like seven days, something like that,” coach Jordi Fernandez said. “We’ll give you guys the update. Again, not super concerned. We wanna keep him healthy. His body is the number one thing for us, and now, it’s next man up.”
Fernandez wasn’t sure on which play Claxton suffered the injury but said the back has been bothering him for some time. Claxton will miss at least three games, the contests against the Knicks on Friday and Sunday, along with Tuesday’s matchup with the Hornets. A best-case scenario would have him return in a week against the 76ers in Philadelphia, although that is obviously uncertain.
After missing the entire preseason due to a hamstring injury, Claxton was starting to round into form. He was averaging 8.6 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 24.8 minutes per game.
With Claxton out, the Nets went with Simmons at the center spot. Simmons missed Wednesday’s game against the Celtics with a tight left calf while Finney-Smith was sidelined due to a sprained ankle.
At the time of the blockbuster trade between the Knicks and Nets, new coach Fernandez was just getting to know Mikal Bridges.
They had a few workouts together and they were building a relationship.
He understood the move, which landed the rebuilding Nets five first-round draft picks, a second-rounder and a first-round pick swap.
“It’s part of our direction and how we want to do things and the plan that we have for building sustainable success,” Fernandez said. “He’s an amazing player. I told him there’s nothing better in the NBA than being wanted, and he was wanted at that time.”
