Brooklyn Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. has missed the past two games due to illness, and at the same time, the Nets have lost their past two games in disappointing fashion. Brooklyn has lost its first two games without Porter by an average of 22 points per game, but it looks likely the former Missouri Tiger will return to the lineup.
The Nets announced Saturday that Porter may play Sunday against his former team, the Denver Nuggets, meaning his absence due to illness could be short-lived. With Porter out of the rotation the past two games, Brooklyn is averaging just 97.5 points per game, well below their league-worst 108.9 points per game so far this season.
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With Porter out of the lineup, the Nets must find ways to field their best starting lineup, as guards Egor Deming, Cam Thomas and Terrence Mann and center Nick Claxton will join Porter in one of those two games. If December is any indication of what this team can be at its best, the results on both ends of the floor, especially defensively, haven’t lived up to what Brooklyn has achieved.
Claxton remains out of the rotation due to personal reasons, which means backup center Daylon Sharp should make his second straight start. Sharp made his first start in Friday’s 119-99 loss to the Washington Wizards, playing 30 minutes and scoring 14 points, nine rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks, a little more than 13 minutes more than his average of 16.7 minutes per game.
Although Claxton and forward Haywood Highsmith are not in the lineup, the Nets are keeping Ben Saraf on G-League assignment in Long Island, so it doesn’t look like he’ll have a chance to play against the injury-plagued Nuggets. If all goes well, Porter will be able to return to Brooklyn after missing two games, and he’ll be able to show his former team that he can play a larger role.
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets’ Michael Porter Jr. (illness) likely to play Sunday against Nuggets
