The Brooklyn Nets didn’t have the January they had hoped for after a dominant performance in December and flashes of potential on the defensive end. Brooklyn played well in a 130-126 double overtime loss to the Boston Celtics on Friday, but they came away from the game with some injuries that they will have to deal with.
The Nets announced Saturday that guards Cam Thomas and Nolan Traore will miss Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers for various reasons. Thomas, for his part, is dealing with a sprained left ankle sustained in Friday’s loss to Celtic, while Traore is dealing with an ailment that will keep him sidelined for the first time in more than a month.
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Thomas came off the bench and scored 7 points (2-for-8 from the field, 0-for-2 from 3-point range), 2 rebounds, and 4 assists in 19 minutes off the bench, but he did awkwardly sprain his ankle in the second half. Thomas continued to play after going down awkwardly and looked okay for a while, but it looked like the injury was more serious than it initially appeared.
Traore, on the other hand, had arguably his best game of the season, finishing with 21 points and three rebounds in 37 minutes off the bench in Friday’s loss to Boston. Traore has earned a consistent spot in head coach Jordi Fernandez’s rotation, his most minutes of playing time in a game this season, so hopefully the ailment he’s suffering from won’t keep him in the doldrums for long.
Forward Noah Clowney is having a rough month in January and is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game in Los Angeles because of back soreness. Clowney went down against the Celtics, so if he’s unable to play, that could pave the way for someone like Ziaire Williams or rookie Danny Wolfe to move into the starting lineup.
Rookie Ben Saraf was not listed on the injury report, meaning he could play for the Nets after spending the past few weeks with Long Island in the G League. Considering Thomas and Traore are not in the starting lineup, this move could open up more playing time in the backcourt, so Saraf could see some meaningful playing time if Fernandez decides to go in this direction.
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets rule out Cam Thomas (ankle), Nolan Traore (illness) with Clippers
