The Nets have added another injury to their expanding list of unavailable players.
With leading scorer Cam Thomas and several other rotation players out, starting forward Dorian Finney-Smith was late for Saturday's game against the Jazz with a left calf contusion.
Second-year forward Noah Clowney made his second start of the season, replacing Finney-Smith.
“I think he got hit. [Thursday in Toronto] And he did it. Obviously, this is a precautionary measure and we don't want to take any risks with discomfort and everything else,'' Nets coach Jordi Fernandez said before losing 105-94. “Then next person.”
Fernandes had said Thomas, who has not played since Nov. 25 with a hamstring problem, would be reevaluated this weekend, but there was no update before the game.
Ziare Williams (knee), Trendon Watford (hamstring), De'Anthony Melton (knee) and Bojan Bogdanovic (foot) also remained sidelined.
The Nets utilized 15 different starting lineups through 28 games.
After spending most of his first professional season in the G League, Jalen Wilson has earned a regular role in the Nets' rotation.
No player on the injury-plagued roster has played every game through the first 28 games, but Wilson is tied with veteran Cam Johnson with 27 appearances (six starts).
“It's been a blessing, dude. I'm so thankful to have had this season and to have the coaching staff that we have,” Wilson said before the game. “Every young player wants a chance to play, and now we all have that chance. It's fun to play, it's fun to play against all the guys, it's fun to be able to compete every night. .”
The 24-year-old Wilson, the team's second-round pick (51st overall) in 2023 out of Kansas State, is averaging 25.4 minutes per game and 9.0 points per game this season after being named MVP of the Las Vegas Summer League this summer. Recorded the score.
The 6-foot-6 wing endured a tough shooting night in Thursday's win at Toronto, going 0-for-7 on 3-pointers and 1-for-11 overall, but Fernandez gave him a shot. I encouraged them to keep going.
“As a player, that's what everyone wants to hear,” Wilson said. He made 33.6 percent of his shots from beyond the arc this season.
Nic Claxton was fined $25,000 by the NBA on Thursday night in Toronto after being ejected for throwing a ball into the stands in the second quarter.
Claxton said after the game that the incident was a “mental error” and that “you can't let your emotions get that high.”
