PORTLAND, Ore. — Cam Johnson and D'Angelo Russell returned to the devastated Nets on Tuesday night, but Nick Claxton was placed on long-term injured reserve.
Brooklyn was winless in five straight games with Johnson sidelined with a sprained right ankle. Russell had missed four consecutive games with a bruised right shin.
Although both games were within the time limit, the Nets came back with a 132-114 upset victory over the Trail Blazers.
Claxton (right hamstring) was sidelined Tuesday night, but head coach Jordi Fernandez said the Nets' starting center just had some tension, not a major pull.
Claxton told the Post on Wednesday that he doesn't even know if he'll play for the Clippers.
Johnson started and scored a team-high 24 points. Russell had 13 points, nine assists and a game-high four steals in 21 minutes off the bench.
Asked if he would be able to suit up in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Russell said he was doubtful before the Blazers' win, but said, “I'll be fine. We have the best training staff in the league, so I'll take the direction they show me. Whatever the gender, I trust them. And I'm fine.”
Ben Simmons started despite questionable hip injury and left knee pain management.
He had five points, 11 assists and nine rebounds, but has not yet been cleared for consecutive games and will play for the Clippers on Wednesday night.
“The most important thing is everyone's body and mood. And obviously we will be careful with their minutes,” Fernandes said. “We want them to feel good, play well and have the right load. And then we see how they're feeling, assess how their bodies are, and then… I'll go the next day.
“So we made a plan with Ben. It's great that he played more than 30 minutes. He feels good. … But again, we want to be cautious and of course We follow our protocol of him not playing back-to-back.”
The Nets' 18-point lead was their largest of the season.
Brooklyn's shooting percentage of .544 percent and 29 fast break points were season highs. His 132 points and 36 assists were the highest within regulation this season.
Ziare Williams has shown signs of improving his shooting touch as he scored 13 points on 3-of-4 shooting from deep.
The forward has hit 17-of-39, or 43.6 percent, in his last seven games since returning from a 10-game absence. In his first 21 games, he only made 18 of 66 (27.3%).
Cam Thomas and Trendon Watford were out.
The NBA lottery was finalized on May 12th. Nets fans will be paying attention.
Players who were re-signed in the offseason — 1) using the rights to a Bird or Early Bird contract, and 2) a contract that is 20% larger than their previous contract — will be eligible to be traded starting Wednesday.
This was the case for 17 players, including Claxton. More importantly, it opens up more players in the potential trade for Johnson.
