MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Cam Thomas said the ankle injury that forced him out of Monday’s win isn’t as severe as the one that cost him close to a month earlier in the season.
“That’s what it feels like,” Thomas said. “I should be fine.”
The fact that Thomas wasn’t sent back to New York, and hasn’t instantly been ruled out of Tuesday’s game in Orlando Orlando is encouraging.
Thomas sprained his right ankle coming down on teammate Day’Ron Sharpe’s foot in the fourth quarter of Monday’s 111-86 rout of the Grizzlies.
He was subbed out of the game with 7:23 left to play and the Nets leading 97-73, helped off the floor and unable to put pressure on his ankle.
The Nets’ second-leading scorer, Thomas finished the night with 14 points, a game-high tying five assists and no turnovers.
Thomas had sprained his other ankle in a Nov. 9 victory over the Clippers and missed the next nine games before eventually returning on Nov. 30. But he was confident this one is less serious with a much shorter recovery time.
“That’s the way it feels, less severe,” Thomas said. “I should be fine.”
In the locker room afterwards, Thomas had his ankle wrapped in ice and was walking around, albeit with a limp. Still, after having required a mobility scooter following the November sprain, the Nets are taking this as auspicious.
X-rays were negative, per TNT.
“Yeah, I mean I’m able to walk on it, so it’s not bad,” Thomas said. “We’ll take it day by day. But it’s not as bad as last time, so I’m not really concerned.”
Ben Simmons will be out Tuesday. It’s just management, as he hasn’t yet been cleared by the performance team for back-to-backs.
“Yeah, I think I’m getting closer. So hopefully [soon],” Simmons said.
He had initially been listed as questionable Monday with a sore left leg, but logged 14:10 off the bench and had four points, six rebounds and three assists.
Simmons had been forced out of Saturday’s loss in Minnesota with 8:04 left in the third quarter and didn’t return. He went right up until before tipoff Monday, testing out his leg in pregame warm-ups before being cleared.
“I’m all right,” Simmons said. “Yeah, I mean, I’m gonna give this team everything I got, regardless of how I feel.”
The 86 points the Nets allowed are the fewest they’ve surrendered this season.
The Nets had seven players in double figures and shot .489 overall. They handed out 32 assists (with just eight turnovers) on 44 baskets.
This after coming in with the worst shooting percentage and offensive rating in the NBA over the previous eight games, losing seven of them.
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