Erik Slater Articles - Page 32

The NBA has fined the Brooklyn Nets $100,000 for violating the league’s Player Participation Policy during a Dec. 27 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. Head coach Jacque Vaughn did not play Spencer Dinwiddie, Cam Johnson, Nic Claxton, or Dorian Finney-Smith vs. Milwaukee, with the team citing rest and injury maintenance on its status report. “Following […]

Brooklyn Nets guard Cam Thomas has developed a reputation as a tough shotmaker during his young NBA career. However, the Nets’ offense has stalled amid the team’s recent struggles, and with it has come a career-worst shooting slump from Thomas. The 22-year-old has missed 20 straight field goal attempts over his last three games. Thomas […]

Following a promising start to the season, the Brooklyn Nets have lost nine of their last 11 games. The new-look squad has not been competitive during that span, ranking 27th in net rating with seven losses by double digits. Mikal Bridges’ struggles have played a significant role in the cold stretch. After averaging 24.7 points […]

Brooklyn Nets point guard Ben Simmons is taking another step towards returning from a two-month absence. After missing 27 games due to a nerve impingement in his surgically repaired back, the three-time All-Star will be cleared to play two-on-two when the team returns from a four-game road trip, according to the New York Post’s Brian […]

The Brooklyn Nets entered New Orleans Tuesday amidst a downward spiral. Just when it felt like the team couldn’t fall any further, the Pelicans caved in the Nets’ floor with a 112-85 drubbing at Smoothie King Center. New Orleans jumped out to a 16-3 advantage and did not look back, leading by as many as […]

Brooklyn Nets guard Lonnie Walker IV won’t play Wednesday against the Houston Rockets, according to the New York Post’s Brian Lewis. The update comes after Walker was ruled out for Tuesday’s road matchup with the New Orleans Pelicans despite hope that he would be able to return during the back-to-back. The 24-year-old has missed Brooklyn’s […]

The New York Knicks kicked off NBA trade season Saturday, sending RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley to the Toronto Raptors for OG Anunoby in a move that could have major implications for the Brooklyn Nets. The Knicks and Nets have been rumored landing spots if the Cleveland Cavaliers were to trade star guard Donovan Mitchell. […]

Brooklyn Nets guard Lonnie Walker IV is nearing a return after missing the team’s last 14 games due to a hamstring injury. Walker was ruled out for Sunday’s road matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder but has progressed well and could return Tuesday against the New Orleans Pelicans, per the New York Post’s Brian Lewis. […]

The Brooklyn Nets moved Cam Thomas to the bench in favor of Dorian Finney-Smith during a 110-104 loss to the Washington Wizards Friday. Thomas, who is leading the team in scoring at 22.8 points per game on 45/37/85 shooting splits, had started Brooklyn’s last 14 games after returning from an ankle injury. Head coach Jacque […]

Trade season is nearly upon us, and for the Brooklyn Nets, that means deciding on the futures of several key veterans. Among those names are Dorian Finney-Smith and Royce O’Neale, two players who should draw interest from numerous contenders ahead of the trade deadline. The Los Angeles Lakers are on that list, according to The […]

The Brooklyn Nets rested most of their rotation against the Milwaukee Bucks Wednesday on the back end of a back-to-back. While they fell 144-122 with Milwaukee pulling away late, several Nets rookies impressed during the first extended action of their NBA careers. Among those players was 2023 first-round pick Noah Clowney, who posted 14 points, […]

The shorthanded Brooklyn Nets fell 144-122 to the Milwaukee Bucks Wednesday at Barclays Center. Brooklyn rested nearly its entire rotation on the back end of a back-to-back after defeating the Pistons in Detroit Tuesday. The Nets ruled out Spencer Dinwiddie, Cam Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith and Nic Claxton ahead of the game. Mikal Bridges, Cam Thomas […]

The Brooklyn Nets will be short-handed when they return home on Wednesday night to face the Milwaukee Bucks. Spencer Dinwiddie (rest), Cam Johnson (right knee sprain – injury maintenance), and Nic Claxton (left ankle sprain – injury maintenance) are all listed as out with the team set to play their second game in as many […]

The Brooklyn Nets made history Tuesday, handing the Detroit Pistons an NBA single-season record 27th straight loss, 118-112, at Little Caesars Arena. However, one of the top Nets storylines wasn’t what was happening on the floor but rather who Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn decided to have off of it (Cam Thomas) in the game’s […]

Brooklyn Nets guard Lonnie Walker IV’s return will have to wait at least another two games. Head coach Jacque Vaughn said Tuesday that Walker is ill and will miss at least the next two games, according to the New York Post’s Brian Lewis. The offseason minimum signing has missed Brooklyn’s last 11 games due to […]

The Phoenix Suns began an organizational makeover when they traded Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson for Kevin Durant at last year’s deadline. The team continued that revamp following a second-round loss to the eventual champion Denver Nuggets by firing head coach Monty Williams. Williams was reunited with Bridges and Johnson, who played under him from […]

The Brooklyn Nets made a bet against the Phoenix Suns’ future when they traded Kevin Durant at last year’s deadline. General manager Sean Marks acquired Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, unprotected first-round picks in 2025, 2027 and 2029, and an unprotected first-round pick swap in 2028. While that bet is still in its infancy, Brooklyn appears […]

The Detroit Pistons made history Saturday at Barclays Center with a 126-115 loss to the Brooklyn Nets. The defeat marks Detroit’s 26th straight, tying the longest single-season streak in NBA history, also held by the 2013-14 Philadelphia 76ers and 2010-11 Cleveland Cavaliers. Before the record-matching loss, Pistons head coach Monty Williams took full responsibility for […]

Brooklyn Nets point guard Ben Simmons doesn’t know when he will be able to return to the floor amid a six-week absence due to a back injury. The Nets announced Wednesday that Simmons has “displayed consistent strength improvement” and will be re-evaluated in two weeks. However, the three-time All-Star said Friday that he has not […]

Brooklyn Nets point guard Ben Simmons spoke to the media Friday for the first time since being sidelined by a nerve impingement in his surgically repaired back. The three-time All-Star has missed the last six weeks due to the injury. The Nets released a statement Wednesday saying Simmons has “displayed consistent strength improvement” and “further […]

The NBA’s age-old adage goes, “It’s a make-or-miss league.” Mikal Bridges has been on the wrong end of that saying of late, and the result has been a 1-5 stretch for the Brooklyn Nets. Bridges is averaging 16.3 points per game on 31.9 percent shooting during that span. After a disappointing five-game West Coast trip, […]

The slumping Brooklyn Nets are expected to receive much-needed reinforcements ahead of Friday’s matchup with the Denver Nuggets. The Nets listed guard Dennis Smith Jr. as probable vs. Denver after he missed the team’s last seven games due to an upper back sprain. After missing six games from Nov. 19-30 due to a lower back […]

The Brooklyn Nets fell 121-102 to the New York Knicks Wednesday at Barclays Center. The blowout loss comes after a disappointing 1-4 West Coast swing from head coach Jacque Vaughn’s squad. Here are three key takeaways from another lackluster Nets performance: Cam Johnson bounces back after disappointing road trip Johnson could not find his rhythm […]

Brooklyn Nets point guard Ben Simmons will remain sidelined indefinitely due to a nerve impingement in his back, the team announced Wednesday. “Simmons has displayed consistent strength improvement in the affected area over the past two weeks and has further increased individual court work. His status will be updated again in approximately two weeks,” Brooklyn […]

Nic Claxton’s impending unrestricted free agency is among the Brooklyn Nets’ top question marks of the 2023-24 season. Despite his uncertain future with the Nets, the breakout center recently expressed his desire to make Brooklyn his long-term home, via Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. “A place where I’m wanted,” Claxton said of his free agency desires. […]

The Brooklyn Nets fell victim to the injury bug during all four seasons of the Kevin Durant-Kyrie Irving era. A quarter of the way into 2023-24, it has been more of the same. After Nic Claxton, Cam Johnson and Cam Thomas all missed multiple weeks early in the year, Ben Simmons has been sidelined for […]

The Brooklyn Nets had a prime opportunity to salvage a five-game West Coast swing against a struggling Utah Jazz squad Monday at Delta Center. Instead, they fell flat on their faces during a 125-108 loss, sealing a disappointing 1-5 finish to the trip. 🎆 Two double-doubles🎆 Three guys with 20+ points🎆 Six guys in double-figures […]

Brooklyn Nets guard Cam Thomas had struggled to replicate his early-season brilliance in seven games since returning from an ankle injury entering Saturday’s matchup with the Golden State Warriors. Thomas shook off the rust at Chase Center, scoring a game-high 41 points on 15-of-24 shooting in a last-second 124-120 loss. Cam Thomas broke out of […]

The Brooklyn Nets dropped a thriller 124-120 to the Golden State Warriors Saturday at Chase Center. The Nets dug themselves a 16-point hole at halftime, and despite a valiant second-half effort, Stephen Curry refused to let them climb out of it. After Brooklyn came back to take the lead with six minutes remaining, Curry scored […]

Less than one season after trading away Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, the Brooklyn Nets passed on a chance to acquire another superstar this summer. With the Portland Trail Blazers’ negotiations with the Miami Heat going nowhere, Damian Lillard’s agent phoned Nets general manager Sean Marks to tell him he was interested in a trade […]

The Brooklyn Nets fell 124-101 to the Denver Nuggets Thursday at Ball Arena on the back end of a back-to-back. Following a last-second victory over the Phoenix Suns Wednesday, Brooklyn was no match for the defending champs before a sellout Denver crowd. Here are three key takeaways from the blowout loss. Fatigue sets in for […]

Brooklyn Nets guard Dennis Smith Jr. will remain out for the final two games of the team’s West Coast trip against the Golden State Warriors and Utah Jazz, head coach Jacque Vaughn said Thursday. “It’s just been too many days that he’s been off the court for him to ramp back up to join us […]

One pressing question faced the Brooklyn Nets when guard Cam Thomas returned from an nine-game absence early this season: Would he start? Thomas had averaged 28.7 points per game, the ninth-most in the NBA, on 48.3 percent shooting before being sidelined by an ankle sprain. He came off the bench in his first game back. […]

The Phoenix Suns’ matchup with the Brooklyn Nets Wednesday marked the start of a new era, with the team’s big three of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and Bradley Beal taking the floor for the first time. However, as one era began, a reminder of another returned. Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson returned to face their […]

The Phoenix Suns were the NBA’s worst team for three seasons before the arrival of Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson, posting a 68-178 record from 2015 to 2018. Fast forward to last season’s blockbuster trade that sent both players to the Brooklyn Nets for Kevin Durant, and the Suns were a perennial title contender with […]

For the first time since last season’s trade deadline blockbuster, Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson will return to Phoenix on Wednesday as members of the Brooklyn Nets. The duo, affectionately nicknamed “The Twins” during their Phoenix days, became fan favorites throughout the Suns’ turnaround from 2019 to 2023. Both are expected to receive a tribute […]

The Brooklyn Nets have officially ruled out guard Dennis Smith Jr. for Wednesday’s road matchup with the Phoenix Suns. The absence will mark Smith’s third straight due to an upper back sprain. After missing six games from Nov. 19-30 due to a lower back sprain, the offseason minimum signing was among Brooklyn’s most productive players […]

When Harry Giles III parted ways with the Sacramento Kings in the summer of 2020, it was unclear what his NBA future would hold. Giles, the former No. 1 high school prospect in the Class of 2017, saw his college and early NBA career sidetracked by knee injuries. The Oak Hill Academy product had short […]

Mikal Bridges drew league-wide praise for his elite scoring efficiency during a 30-game stretch following his trade to the Brooklyn Nets last season. Despite a slow start to the 2023-24 season, Bridges is surpassing those scoring numbers a quarter of the way through the year and making a strong case for his first All-Star appearance. […]