The Brooklyn Nets are taking on their second NBA Cup matchup of the 2024-25 season against the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday night. The Nets need all the help they can get to snap their three-game losing streak. Thankfully, the team received hopeful injury updates on Dorian Finney-Smith and Ziaire Williams.
Finney-Smith played in Brooklyn's previous two matchups against the New York Knicks but missed Nov. 13th's Boston Celtics game with an ankle ailment. Meanwhile, Williams has been mostly healthy throughout the first part of the season but has had an issue pop up.
Williams (right hip soreness) and Finney-Smith (left ankle sprain) are both probable to play against the Hornets on Tuesday, Brian Lewis of the New York Post reports.
Through 12 games, Dorian Finney-Smith has had an impressive showing, averaging 10.9 points on a career-high 39.7 percent three-point shooting clip. Moreover, his 4.8 rebounds, 1.0 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game are helping Brooklyn's challenge on the boards and defensively.
Ziaire Williams is having equally as impressive of a year. The fourth-year forward averages a career-best 9.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 0.9 steals through 14 games.
Hopefully, Finney-Smith and Williams can stay healthy enough to take the floor on Tuesday and beyond as the Nets try to regain momentum.
Nets navigate other injuries for Hornets matchup
In addition to Finney-Smith and Williams, Brooklyn is dealing with several other injury woes. Most notably, Nic Claxton remains out due to his recovery from a lower back strain. The starting center will be reevaluated in a few days.
Furthermore, the Nets will be without Bojan Bogdanovic, Day'Ron Sharpe, Jacky Cui, Jaylen Martin, and Dariq Whitehead against Charlotte, Brian Lewis further noted.
Bogdanovic is still ramping up from the foot surgery he had during the spring of 2024, and Sharpe is still recovering from his preseason hamstring strain. Finally, Cui, Martin, and Whitehead have G League assignments to tend to with the Long Island Nets.
The one player the Nets will likely be focusing on for Tuesday's game is LaMelo Ball. Ball is having an electric start to the season, averaging a whopping 29.7 points, 6.7 assists, and 1.2 steals on 36.1 three-point shooting accuracy. There are no clear answers for Balls' offensive prowess, but perhaps Ben Simmons can take up the challenge of guarding him and slow him down.
Simmons can channel the energy he would otherwise use on offense into providing resistance against Ball or whoever else Brooklyn needs him to guard.
Brooklyn is facing challenges, but with the right execution, they can create a spark and get a win to move back toward the .500 mark on Tuesday.