#nic-claxton

#nic-claxton

Being traded away from a team for a player they prefer, and having your life uprooted in the process-especially in the middle of the season-can't be easy for NBA players.But Mikal Bridges hardly blamed the Phoenix Suns for packaging him in the deal that landed them Kevin Durant."It's KD," Bridges told reporters.

It's no wonder Nic Claxton was running on dead legs.Claxton, the gifted starting Nets center and imposing rim protector, played a total of 1,592 minutes in the 54 games he played before the All-Star break.In his first three seasons in Brooklyn, he tallied just 1,755 minutes across 94 total games.The fourth-year big man who enjoyed a breakout start to the season as an early dark horse candidate for Defensive Player of the Year simply ran out of gas - at an inopportune moment when both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving orchestrated their respective trades out of Brooklyn.

Following a disappointing 40-42 season and prompt elimination in the play-in tournament, please excuse me if I join many other fans when I say I'm ready to put this year behind us and look forward to the future.The Chicago Bulls' options this summer may be limited, but at this point, standing pat and not making any moves in either direction would be an abject failure for the franchise.

The Bulls bring a six-game losing streak into tonight's matchup with the Nets.Chicago hopes the All-Star break gave the team time to regroup as its playoff hopes are quickly fading away.Nonetheless, the Bulls are favorites at home tonight in a critical spot.I've got a best bet cooked up, and you've got a tremendous opportunity to win BIG thanks to Caesars Sportsbook's awesome promo: bet insurance of up to $1,250!

The Nets were snoozing their way through an opportunity to lengthen their lead in the ongoing race with Miami for the coveted sixth spot in the Eastern Conference.Then, they finally sounded the alarm.Cameron Johnson scored 31 points, including a go-ahead 3-pointer with just over two minutes remaining, as Brooklyn used a late burst to sneak past the slumping Houston Rockets, 123-114, in front of 17,074 relieved fans at Downtown's Barclays Center.

BROOKLYN - The Denver Nuggets may not have looked like themselves when they faced the Knicks, but the Nets got a not-so-friendly reminder of why they are the top team in the Western Conference.Brooklyn struggled for nearly all of the game shooting a dismal 12-of-35 from three-point range and below 50% from the field in a 108-102 loss to the Nuggets.

BROOKLYN - The Nets led for most of the first half, until they didn't, and Brooklyn was never able to get that lead back in what turned into a 101-96 loss to the red-hot Sacramento Kings.It was a game of runs where Sacramento made the Nets pay and helped keep the pesky Brooklyn squad on Thursday night at Barclays Center
The Nets pulled within mere points of the Kings several times in the second half, but were unable to complete the comeback.

Match longest winning streak of season against Wizards

The Brooklyn Nets are proving that their recent resurgence isn't just a result of home cooking.Kevin Durant poured in 30 points and Kyrie Irving added 24 Monday night in Washington, D.C, as the Nets improved to 2-0 on their ongoing road trip and won their season high-tying fourth straight game with a 112-110 victory over the Wizards in front of 16,090 fans at Capital One Arena.

Cameron Johnson scored 31 points as the Brooklyn Nets closed the game on a 18-4 run and handed the Houston Rockets their seventh straight loss, 123-114 on Wednesday in New York.Mikal Bridges had 27 points, Spencer Dinwiddie added 20 points and 11 assists and Nic Claxton contributed 18 points and 10 rebounds for Brooklyn, which snapped a four-game home losing streak after shooting 9 of 11 from 3-point range in the fourth quarter.

Donovan Mitchell did, indeed, jump the gun.The NBA concluded in its Last Two Minutes (L2M) Report that officials failed to properly whistle Mitchell for a lane violation when he rebounded his own missed free throw with the Cavaliers down one on the game's final possession.Instead of a whistle - which would have given the Nets possession of the ball up one with only seconds left on the clock - Mitchell attempted to put-back his own miss.

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) drives to the basket against Brooklyn Nets guard Seth Curry, left, and forward Cameron Johnson (2) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, March 21, 2023, in New York.BROOKLYN There was still 10:53 left in the fourth quarter when Donovan Mitchell posterized Yuta Watanabe during Tuesday's Nets game against the Cavaliers.

The Brooklyn Nets look to snap a three-game losing skid when they host the Cleveland Cavaliers at Barclays Center on Tuesday, March 21 (3/21/2023) at 7:30 p.m. ET.Nets vs. Cavaliers will be broadcast on NBA TV nationwide, and in-market on YES Network and Bally Sports Ohio.It can be streamed live on fuboTV (free trial) and other live TV services.

The Brooklyn Nets look to snap a three-game losing skid when they host the Cleveland Cavaliers at Barclays Center on Tuesday, March 21 (3/21/2023) at 7:30 p.m. ET.Nets vs. Cavaliers will be broadcast on NBA TV nationwide, and in-market on YES Network and Bally Sports Ohio.It can be streamed live on fuboTV (free trial) and other live TV services.

CLEVELAND (AP) - Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant each scored 32 points and the Nets extended their longest winning streak since moving to Brooklyn to nine games with a 125-117 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night.The Nets withstood a sensational 46-point performance by Darius Garland, who single-handedly kept the Cavs close in the fourth.

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OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 35 points, Josh Giddey had 15 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists, and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Brooklyn Nets 121-107 on Tuesday night for their sixth win in seven games.

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When the Nets traded away Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, what Brooklyn's identity would be was a bit of a mystery.With the pieces they added it was clear their defense would improve, but beyond that, it was still a bit unknown,
Now with four straight wins under their belt, including a statement win over the Denver Nuggets on Sunday, it's becoming a bit clearer what this version of the Nets is.

That's how you make an impression on your newest teammates.With Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson watching from the sidelines, the Nets lit up Barclays Center in a 116-105 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Thursday.It was an unlikely victory given the circumstances: The Nets traded Kyrie Irving Sunday and moved Kevin Durant in a deal with the Phoenix Suns early Thursday morning.

Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving may be gone, but Spencer Dinwiddie is back.The veteran point guard made his return to the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday night and was excellent, leading the team to a 116-105 win over the Chicago Bulls.Dinwiddie led the Nets with 25 points, six assists and four steals, while Joe Harris notched all 18 of his points on second-quarter threes and Cam Thomas put up all 20 of his points in the second half.

Fresh off an eventful NBA Trade Deadline, the Battle for New York looks a little bit different as the New York Knicks host the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night.Can the Knicks work towards regaining supremacy in their own city?Game Details:
Betting odds:
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Let's get the obvious out of the way: there will be no Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving when the Nets travel across the river to take on the Knicks on Monday night.

Seven.That is the number of teams that currently hold a better record than the Knicks right now.That's right, just seven.And that also happens to be the number that they can improve their current winning streak to tonight.New York, ever since shortening their rotation, has been one of the best teams in the league, and are poised to continue their current hot streak.

The New York Knicks smacked the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night, dropping a season-high 142 points in an easy win.Our guys got off to a blazing start, pouring in 47 points in the first quarter.Of course, the Knicks dropped 48 first-quarter points against Oklahoma City early in the season, and still lost.

BROOKLYN - The new-look Nets got their first win of the post-Kevin Durant era and Brooklyn gets to head into the NBA All-Star break with a win.The Nets picked up a gritty 116-105 win over the Miami Heat on Wednesday night at Barclays Center as Mikal Bridges hit a new career high in points with 45 and Cam Thomas added 19.

Note: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links, Schneps Media may earn a commission.The Nets signed head coach Jacque Vaughn to a multi-year contract extension on Tuesday, ensuring he will be in Brooklyn for the foreseeable future.Vaughn has been running the Nets bench since Nov. 1 after the organization parted ways with Steve Nash and he was given the full-time gig eight days later.

It was a night off for the starters.Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn rested starting point guard Spencer Dinwiddie and sat Nic Claxton (right thumb sprain/left Achilles tendinopathy), Cam Johnson (right knee soreness) and Royce O'Neale (left knee soreness) all due to injury in Brooklyn's 118-113 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday.

It was almost poetic.Here were the Nets, who trailed by as many as 18 in Sunday's loss to the Hawks in Atlanta, figuring out how to close games now that their superstars are gone - only for a superstar on the other end to put the nail in the coffin.After Cam Johnson nailed a three to tie the game at 127 apiece, Hawks star Trae Young drove the lane, pump faked and threw up a floater that left his hands just in time and swished through the net at the buzzer to lift the Hawks to a 129-127 victory in Atlanta.

One of the few bright spots for the Washington Wizards, Daniel Gafford has had an excellent season.Along with Delon Wright and Kyle Kuzma, he has been one of the success stories of an otherwise disappointing season.In fact, he has been so good this season that he has played his way into reach of a record that used to belong to the late-great Wilt Chamberlain.

For the second time in two days, the Washington Wizards let a role player averaging nine points or less go off against them.This time, it was Cam Thomas of the Brooklyn Nets.An embarrassing weekend for the Wizards.First a loss against the Portland Trailblazers where they let Trendon Watford and Josh Hart combine for 42 points in a comeback.

The Washington Wizards, losers of six straight, are in dire straits right now.It doesn't get any easier as they host a red-hot Brooklyn Nets side.Game Info Game Time: Monday, December 12 at 7 p.m. ET
Where: Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C.
How to watch: NBC Sports Washington
WIZARDS - Anthony Gill, QUESTIONABLE (heel); Monte Morris, QUESTIONABLE (groin); Delon Wright, OUT (hamstring); Rui Hachimura, OUT (ankle); Bradley Beal, OUT (hamstring)
NETS - Nic Claxton, QUESTIONABLE (hamstring); Royce O'Neale, OUT (personal reasons)
The Nets come into this one as winners of seven of their last eight contests and have rocketed up to fourth in the Eastern Conference standings.

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HOUSTON (AP) - Mikal Bridges scored 30 points, Spencer Dinwiddie added 23 and the Brooklyn Nets had a big third quarter to beat the Houston Rockets 118-96 on Tuesday night for their third straight victory.

Nerlens Noel is signing a 10-day contract with the Nets, according to his agent George Langberg.The center completed a buyout with the Detroit Pistons this week after appearing in 14 games with the team.The Nets are bringing in Noel to add size off the bench.The team relies on Nic Claxton, who was considered to be a dark horse candidate for Defensive Player of the Year this season, but don't have any other center on the roster besides Day'Ron Sharpe.

It is time once again to reset the Days Since Kyrie Irving Destabilized The Brooklyn Nets counter to zero, from some number distressingly shy of three digits.Shams Charania of The Athletic reported Friday afternoon that Irving has requested a trade ahead of next week's deadline.According to Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes, Irving and the Nets had been discussing an extension of his current max-value contract, which ends after the conclusion of this season.

The Nets believe they found something, and it's why they snapped their four-game losing streak in the second game of a back-to-back against the Utah Jazz on Friday.The revelation came in the fourth quarter of Thursday's loss to the Phoenix Suns, when Kyrie Irving scored 21 of his 30 points in the final period in a late-game rally that fell just short.

After hauling in more fan votes than any other Eastern Conference player in each of the first two returns of All-Star votes, Nets star Kevin Durant fell to second place while sitting with a sprained MCL in the third and final vote returns.Milwaukee's All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo moved ahead of Durant by 132,014 votes on Thursday.

SAN ANTONIO (AP) - Keldon Johnson had a career-high 36 points and 11 rebounds and the San Antonio Spurs snapped a five-game skid with a 106-98 win over the injury slowed Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday night."A ton of energy, a ton of confidence, that's who Keldon is," San Antonio rookie forward Jeremy Sochan said.

Nic Claxton said the quiet part out loud: The Brooklyn Nets were not a fun team to play on last season.The Nets center called last season's locker room a "toxic environment" when asked how the team's play will differ from a year ago with Kevin Durant again out of the lineup."Well, last year it was...It was kind of a toxic environment," Claxton told reporters after Tuesday's loss to the Spurs.

A three-game losing streak and missing their best player still isn't enough to worry the Nets just yet.Brooklyn has been without its superstar Kevin Durant due to an MCL sprain that is starting to eerily bring back memories of last season.However, the mood inside the Nets locker room is different, according to the players, and the belief that they can weather the storm without Durant remained significant.

Note: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links, Schneps Media may earn a commission.The Nets are taking a nine-game winning streak into Atlanta on Wednesday, with a chance for Brooklyn to jump ahead of the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference standings.The Nets have had an incredible turnaround, but could a trade help bolster their roster to make a run at an NBA title, and is that move adding Kyle Kuzma?

Have a night, Nic Claxton.The Brooklyn Nets defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 118-100 on Friday at the Barclays Center to improve to 21-12 on the season, and it was Claxton who impressed with a remarkable shooting performance.The fourth-year center finished with 19 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three steals in 30 minutes, making 9-of-10 shots from the floor.

BROOKLYN -  If anyone had questioned whether the Nets' turnaround had more to do with the quality of their recent opponents than their play, Brooklyn seemed to clear up that notion against the Milwaukee Bucks.Against one of the best teams in the NBA, the Nets picked up their eighth consecutive win, the league's longest active win streak, in a 118-100 win over the Bucks.

Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn joked that he needs to take veteran forward Royce O'Neale out to dinner for playing him so many minutes through the first leg and a half of the regular season.Make that two steak dinners headed his way - and both of them had better be steak.O'Neale's minutes load alone is a testament to how important the former Utah Jazz wing is on both ends of the floor for a Nets team whose 19-7 run under Vaughn's leadership has legitimized their status as NBA championship contenders.

Kyrie Irving has been involved in plenty of off-the-court drama since signing with the Nets in 2019, but it's safe to say he has also been one of the key reasons for the Nets' current 12-3 run over their last 15 games.A run that began just after Irving had returned from his eight-game suspension.It was Kevin Durant that led the charge in Sunday's win over the Detroit Pistons with 43 points, but the duo of Durant and Irving combined for 81 points.

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As the Nets have turned their season around, one key player has emerged that isn't named Kevin Durant or Kyrie Irving has been Nic Claxton.As one of the lone big men on the Nets roster, Claxton's importance has become clear night in and night out and night out.

Jess Rapfogel/Getty Images  The NBA announced Thursday that it fined the Brooklyn Nets $25,000 for resting eight players in a 136-133 win over the Indiana Pacers on Dec. 10.The league said the fine was for "for failing to comply with league policies governing injury reporting."Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Ben Simmons, Nic Claxton, Seth Curry, Royce O'Neale, Joe Harris and T.J. Warren were all held out of the lineup in what was the second game of a back-to-back.

4:42 PM ET



Nick FriedellESPN Staff Writer

CloseNick Friedell is the Chicago Bulls beat reporter for ESPN Chicago.Friedell is a graduate of the S.I.Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University and joined ESPNChicago.comfor its launch in April 2009.NEW YORK -- The Brooklyn Nets have been $25,000 "for failing to comply with league policies governing injury reporting," the NBA announced Thursday.

AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack
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The Nets have shown interest in trying to acquire Atlanta Hawks forward John Collins, according to multiple reports in the past few weeks.First, it was SNY's Ian Begley who had reported last week that the Nets had "touched base" with the Hawks about Collins and on Monday The Athletic's Shams Charania noted that the Nets were in "the Collins market."

On most nights, the Nets are going to get outrebounded.And on most nights, they're not going to care.That's because the Nets are leaning all the way in to playing small.That means Nic Claxton will play a large chunk of the minutes at center, but after him, there will be an unorthodox, pseudo-big man playing at the five.

The Nets win never seemed to be in doubt on Friday night at Barclays Center, even as the Toronto Raptors closed the gap late n the fourth quarter.Brooklyn had set season highs for first-quarter points (41) and points in a half (72) and picked up their fourth consecutive victory with a 114-105 win over Toronto.