The Brooklyn Nets will remain shorthanded for a pivotal matchup with the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday. Cam Thomas has been ruled out for the game due to a right ankle/midfoot sprain.
Thomas injured the ankle with seven minutes left in Monday's blowout win over the Memphis Grizzlies. He had X-rays that came back negative and downplayed the severity of the sprain afterward. It remains unclear whether he could be available for another home matchup with the Hawks on Saturday.
After receiving a rotation role for the first time in his career, the third-year guard has emerged as Brooklyn's second-leading scorer this season, averaging 20.9 points per game on 44/36/84 shooting splits.
The Nets, already struggling offensively before Cam Thomas' injury, turned in their worst performance of the season Tuesday during a 27-point loss at Orlando. Interim head coach Kevin Ollie's squad scored a season-low 81 points while shooting 39.2 percent from the field with 20 turnovers.
With Thomas sidelined, the Magic shifted their attention to Mikal Bridges, blitzing pick-and-rolls to force the ball out of his hands. Bridges scored a season-low four points on 2-of-13 shooting from the field and 0-of-7 from three. The forward is 2-of-25 from deep over his last three games.
Brooklyn holds the league's worst offense in four games under Ollie, averaging 92.8 points on 40.5 percent shooting.
Thomas' injury is poorly timed for a team seeking to stay in the playoff hunt. After losing eight of their last 10, the Nets sit four games behind the Hawks for the Eastern Conference's final play-in spot. Ollie will need to find another source of offense on Thursday.
Ben Simmons will return for the matchup after sitting the Orlando loss for injury management. However, the three-time All-Star has struggled to make an impact in three appearances under Ollie, averaging 3.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 17 minutes per game.
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