The Nets returned to their home base in Brooklyn and provided updates on injured Ben Simmons and Dayron Sharpe.
And it looks like the two still have a few hurdles to clear before they can suit up again.
Simmons will miss at least the next three games.
However, he worked out during Tuesday's shootaround and could possibly start practicing with G League Long Island as early as next week.
“He's not going to play this week, so we're going to be like this.” [Tuesday], Houston, Minnesota. So he won't play this week,” coach Jacques Vaughn said before the Nets' 108-103 loss to the Knicks. “But all signs are pointing towards him…At some point, we're going to use Long Island to practice under him or put some more bodies around him.
“I hope that happens in the near future.”
Simmons has been sidelined with a compressed nerve in his lower back and hasn't played since Nov. 6.
The only All-Star and starting point guard on the Nets' roster, he appeared in just six games this season.
“If we can mix Long Island in there and put some active bodies around him, we'll see what happens over the next few days and how it plays out, and if he We’ll see how they react to that,” Vaughn said.
Meanwhile, Sharp admitted he still has a ways to go before his hyperextended left knee heals.
“I think I still have a lot of steps to take. I'm still working on strengthening the bottom of my foot right now,” Sharp said, without disclosing a timeline. “I don't know yet. But I just feel good. Better. I feel like I'm moving in a good direction.”
Sharp hasn't played since Jan. 7 and missed his sixth straight game Tuesday.
So far, he has been limited to non-contact work.
“Really, I just got on the bike and hit the lift. I'm just trying to get my leg strength back,” Sharp said.
Mikal Bridges made a career-high 7-of-10 from deep.
Nick Claxton had a career-high 17 rebounds.
Dorian Finney-Smith tied a career high with six assists, which he has done three times thus far.
Spencer Dinwiddie logged just one minute in the fourth quarter as the Nets shot 30 percent in a 32-18 win.
“It's great to talk about what I've done in the past, but that's in the past,” Dinwiddie said. “Has some of the best clutch shots of all time, that's a thing of the past.”
Darik Whitehead is still recovering from a stress reaction in his left shin.
“I'm just trying to take the right steps to make sure my shin is in place and make sure there's no setbacks before I get back on the court,” Whitehead told the Post. “I’m only 19 so I’m trying to handle things the right way and not get frustrated.”
