The Nets can’t catch a break. They suffered their seventh straight loss on Monday, and to worsen matters, there’s a good chance they just lost one of their top young forwards for an extended stretch.
The Kings were paced by De’Aaron Fox in their 110-96 triumph at Barclays Center. They shot 54.9% from the field and converted 18 Nets turnovers into 23 points. Brooklyn fell to 14-33 this season, but improved to fifth in the lottery standings, just percentage points behind the Charlotte Hornets for fourth and only two games behind the Utah Jazz for second.
“Our decision making offensively, [they] punished our defense, and that’s how we lost the game,” head coach Jordi Fernandez said.
Noah Clowney turned his ankle while contesting a shot at the rim in the second quarter. The injury looked fairly severe, and the 20-year-old had to be helped off the court with assistance from team trainers.
Clowney missed seven straight games earlier in the season with a sprain in the same ankle. He exited Monday’s matchup with six points and one rebound in 12 minutes after averaging 10 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks over his last five appearances entering the night.
Fernandez had no updates on Clowney’s status after the game, but did share some promising news regarding Cam Johnson, Cam Thomas and Trendon Watford earlier in the night.
Johnson, who’s averaged a career-high 19.4 points per game this season in Brooklyn, has missed three straight games because of a right ankle sprain and has missed 10 of the team’s last 13 games overall. Fernandez said Johnson will be re-evaluated next week, which means he’ll miss Wednesday and Friday’s road matchups against the Charlotte and Houston Rockets at the very least.
The earliest Johnson could return is next Tuesday against Houston at home. At that point, the Nets will have just two games before the Feb. 6 trade deadline — and Johnson remains one of the top trade targets around the league.
“Obviously we want him to get that ankle right, he was good when he came back, it’s just, he tweaked it again. Twice,” Fernandez said. “And again, it’s unlucky, but we just want to make sure that now it’s strong enough that he’ll be able to play through things and he’s 100 percent.”
The Nets have played without Thomas, their leading scorer at 24.7 points per game, since Jan. 2. He has been working through on-court, non-contact drills in recent weeks, but will undergo scans on his hamstring on Wednesday. Brooklyn will provide a timetable on his return once his testing is complete.
“He’s been working, doing a great job, and that’s the next step he will take,” Fernandez said.
However, Watford could return from his hamstring injury as soon as Wednesday or Saturday. The 24-year-old hasn’t played since a 130-101 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Dec. 16. He’s averaged 8.3 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 13 games this season.
“He looks great,” Fernandez said. “He’s been working hard, and we’ll see him this week. I cannot tell you exactly what game, but we’ll see him back. So, we’re excited for the group, and I’m happy for him.”
Ben Simmons has missed five straight games because of discomfort in his lower back. He was supposed to play in Saturday’s 106-97 loss to the Miami Heat but was a late scratch. The 6-10 guard is considered day-to-day and there’s no concrete timetable for when he’ll return.
“We’ve done our job, try to make sure everything was looking good,” Fernandez said. “He’s got discomfort. He’ll be out, and then he’ll be back… We’ll make sure that we do our best for him to feel better and be part of the group.”