OUT: Bojan Bogdanovic (foot), Noah Clowney (ankle), Cam Johnson (ankle), Maxwell Lewis (tibia), De'Anthony Melton (knee), Cam Thomas (hamstring), Dariq Whitehead (G League)
OUT: Marvin Bagley III (knee), Saddiq Bey (knee), Jared Butler (Two-Way), Alex Sarr (ankle)
Riding a three-game winning streak, the Brooklyn Nets welcome the Washington Wizards to the Barclays Center tonight. Both squads have experienced disappointing 2024-25 campaigns yet seem to be trending in vastly different directions.
Three weeks ago, Brooklyn and Washington both appeared to be set to own their fair share of ping-pong balls come the 2025 NBA Draft lottery. However, the Nets have been red-hot to begin February, and key injuries to the young Wizards give the hosts a great chance of surging to their fourth win in a row.
While Brooklyn remains quite banged up, the team's balanced attack has garnered great results. Cam Thomas, Cam Johnson and Noah Clowney remain out this evening, and Day'Ron Sharpe has a chance to join the trio, but Jordi Fernandez's rotation appears to have adjusted to life without its stars.
The good news: Nic Claxton will again play through a nasal fracture, making Sharpe the only potentially void in the frontcourt.
On the Wizards' front, their injury list is short yet impactful.
Amid a flurry of rumors surrounding Jonas Valanciunas' availability in trade talks, he'll be the lone Washington big suiting up tonight. Marvel Bagley III and Rookie of the Year candidate Alex Sarr will both sit.
Bagley has appeared in just 19 contests this season, while Sarr has been kept out of the Wizards' last four matchups nursing an ankle injury. While still a raw prospect, Sarr's impact on the defensive end has been heavily imposed early in his young NBA career.
Sarr's absence, compounded by Claxton's status, presents an obvious vulnerability in the frontcourt, creating the opportunity to capitalize on a mismatch if Fernandez chooses to exploit it.
In a bout between two of the league's rebuilding squads, key injuries may prove to determine the outcome.