Nets Downgrade D'Angelo Russell Against Timberwolves

On Thursday night, the Brooklyn Nets are set to welcome the Minnesota Timberwolves into the Barclays Center as they look to build on their win against the Dallas Mavericks on their last trip out. The victory would come as a result of a fourth-quarter comeback by the Nets as they outscored the hosts by seven points in the fourth quarter.

Keon Johnson, Tyrese Martin, and Drew Timme would manage to put Brooklyn over the line towards the end of the match, combining for 18 of the Nets' 29 points in the final quarter. Johnson would end the night off with a team-high 24 points, doing so on 52 percent shooting from the field.

Another player who would have himself a night on the court would be D'Angelo Russell, who made sure to direct traffic on the offensive end, recording 11 assists, as well as 18 points. His scoring efforts would be enough to make up for the absence of Cameron Johnson, who tends to be one of Brooklyn's main scoring options.

Similar to Johnson against Dallas, Russell may find himself off the court against the Timberwolves on Thursday night, as he has been listed as probable due to right ankle soreness. This is something that has been a reoccurring issue for the 29-year-old, as it was what kept him off of the floor against the Indiana Pacers in late March.

His absence against the Pacers due to his right ankle wasn't an isolated event, as he missed five games in February after he sprained it in a match against the Cleveland Cavaliers. When all is said and done, Russell has missed 16 games since making his return to the Nets in late December.

This hasn't stopped him from being an important part of Brooklyn's offensive plans, as he is averaging 13.3 points on 37.4 percent shooting while dishing out a team-high 5.7 assists per game. These contributions have become much more important given the long-term absence of Cam Thomas, who could miss the rest of the season due to a strained left hamstring.

If Johnson is to miss the match, Brooklyn head coach Jordi Fernandez will have plenty of options to choose from to fill his shoes, including the likes of Reece Beekman, Tyson Etienne, and the aforementioned Johnson.

The Nets are set to take on the Timberwolves on Thursday night, with tip-off slated for 7:30 p.m. EST.