Michael Porter Jr. is likely to play against his former Nuggets team on Sunday after missing the past two games due to illness.
Cam Thomas is available, but starting center Nic Claxton is still out for personal reasons.
He ranks fourth among all centers with 131 assists and a career-high of 4.2 per game, and the Nets miss his play immensely.
Day’Ron Sharpe is in line for a second straight start in place of Claxton.
He had 14 points, nine rebounds, two steals and two blocks in 30 minutes in Washington on Friday, his first start of the season.
Above all, Sharpe played with his usual ferocity despite having to maintain his pace for an extended period of time.
“Yes, we know one thing: Day’Ron is going to play extremely hard. And from the minutes he has played until about 30 minutes, you know that your body has to adapt to that,” said coach Jordi Fernández. “So it’s a great opportunity for him to play those minutes. But you have to be careful with that too.”
“[After] During the shorter stints I try to see how he reacted. And rebounding – nine. I still think he could have become a little bit more efficient, but I really liked how hard he played, how committed he was and how he took advantage of the opportunity. So very proud of him.”
Sharpe’s shooting percentage of 60.1 percent and true shooting percentage of 64.4 are both career bests.
Rookie Nolan Traore had a dozen points against the Wizards on 4-for-7 shooting with five assists, two blocks and a steal in a rebound outing.
After being chastised by Fernández for forcing some ill-advised pull-up 3-pointers the night before against Houston and not using his speed and downhill skills, Traore returned to attacking the paint.
The result was the best match of his career. He crossed Wizards center Alex Sarr and finished high above the glass on a highlight play.
“I just want him to make the right shot every time. So I don’t know if it was a 3 or not. I never told him not to take 3s. I want him to make the right shot. I want him to make the right play,” Fernández said. “I want him to shoot 3s when he’s open and make good shots. Sure, he can shoot. He can shoot 20 if he wants to.”
Nikola Jokic’s injury may have turned the MVP race upside down and will mean Nets fans won’t see him play Sunday at Barclays Center.
The Nuggets star suffered a bruise to his left knee on Monday and will be out for the 3:30 p.m. tilt.
Brooklyn also won’t see Cam Johnson (right knee, bone bruise) and Jonas Valanciunas (right calf). They traded Johnson this offseason for Porter and Denver’s unprotected 2032 first-round pick.
Christian Braun (left ankle sprain) and Aaron Gordon (right hamstring strain) are both questionable. Jamal Murray (left ankle sprain) is likely.
#DayRon #Sharpe #benefits #Nets #central #role