Nets To Miss Trio Against Raptors Today

On Sunday afternoon, the Brooklyn Nets are set to take on the Toronto Raptors in a match that could have some serious implications on the upcoming draft. As things stand, the Nets are behind the Raptors by two and a half games, which would see them land a higher percentage at the first overall pick, according to Tankathon.

Brooklyn will come into the match off of a loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves earlier in the week, which came despite Nic Claxton dropping 18 points and coming away with six rebounds. It was no match for Anthony Edwards’ 28 points, as well as Rudy Gobert's 21-point, 18-rebound double-double.

While Brooklyn will look to get themselves back on track against the Raptors, they’ll have to do it without some big names, including D’Angelo Russell, Cameron Johnson, and the aforementioned Claxton.

Russell will find himself out of action on Sunday afternoon due to right ankle soreness, which nearly kept him out of the match against the Timberwolves. While it didn’t keep him out entirely on Thursday night, it was one of the reasons that Jordi Fernández decided to pull his veteran point guard after only getting 12 and a half minutes on the court.

Just as there is a reason to raise an eyebrow at Russell’s ankle soreness, given his repeated problems throughout the season, the same can also be said for Johnson, who is set to miss a second straight match due to a lower back contusion. The stretch of absences comes towards the end of what has been a productive season for the former UNC star, as he is averaging 18.8 points on 47.5 percent shooting from the field.

Claxton is set to miss out due to rest, which will be only his second absence in the last month, with his most recent coming against the Washington Wizards for the same reason. The Nets will be sure to miss his presence on the court, which was the highlight in their loss to the Raptors in March when Claxton would drop 22 points and 11 rebounds.

The Nets are set to take on the Raptors on Sunday afternoon, with tip-off slated for 3:30 p.m. EST.