The Brooklyn Nets are resting several rotation pieces during Thursday's back-to-back vs. the Utah Jazz amid a two-game winning streak. Michael Porter Jr. will miss the game due to lower back injury management. Drake Powell will also be sidelined due to left knee injury management.
Terance Mann is probable after missing Brooklyn's last two games due to rib soreness.
Porter Jr. missed two games last week due to lower back soreness. However, he looked healthy during the Nets' last two outings, leading the team to victories over the Charlotte Hornets and Chicago Bulls. The 27-year-old averaged 35.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists on 23-of-44 (52.3 percent) shooting from the field and 12-of-23 (52.2 percent) from three across the pair of wins.
Powell missed most of the offseason due to left knee tendinopathy. However, he's been impactful after returning from an ankle injury over Brooklyn's last 13 games. The rookie wing has averaged 7.2 points, 1.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists on 48/37/94 shooting splits during that span.
Nets resting Michael Porter Jr. during Jazz matchup following back-to-back wins
The Nets have fallen to fifth place in the draft lottery standings following their last two wins. They're 2.5 games behind the Washington Wizards, 1.5 behind the New Orleans Pelicans and the Indiana Pacers, and 0.5 behind the Sacramento Kings. Meanwhile, Utah sits in ninth place at 7-13, 2.5 games behind Brooklyn.
The Jazz owe their first-round pick, top-eight protected, to the Oklahoma City Thunder this season.
Removing Porter Jr. from the lineup will make things very difficult for Brooklyn offensively on Thursday. The Nets averaged 101.0 points, 22.0 assists and 19.0 turnovers on 43.5 percent shooting during their pair of games without Porter Jr. last week. However, they averaged 114.5 points, 31.5 assists, and 16.0 turnovers while shooting 46.6 percent across their previous two wins amid his return.
Jusuf Nurkic is the only Jazz starter on Thursday's injury report. The veteran center is questionable with a rib contusion. Kevin Love will miss the game for rest.
