The Brooklyn Nets will be shorthanded for the second consecutive game when they travel to face the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday. The Nets ruled Michael Porter Jr. (right ankle sprain), Deron Sharp (left thumb sprain) and Nolan Traore (rest) out for the matchup. Ziare Williams (illness) is questionable.
The Nets recently shut down breakout rookie Igor Demin for the season due to a plantar fascia injury. The lengthy injury report comes after Sharp and Williams missed Tuesday's 138-100 loss to the Detroit Pistons. Brooklyn benched veteran Terrence Mann during the game, playing recent two-way signing Chanie Johnson and trade acquisition Josh Minot in extended minutes.
These rotation changes were followed by consecutive wins over the Pistons and Memphis Grizzlies, causing the Nets to lose significant ground in the NBA's tank race.
Nets rule out several starters for Hawks matchup after back-to-back wins
Brooklyn was tied with the Indiana Pacers for second place in the draft lottery standings and within striking distance of the first-place Sacramento Kings last week. However, the Nets rode a veteran-heavy rotation to take on the Pistons on Saturday. They then played most of their rotation against the Grizzlies, which were without their eight highest-paid players, and led the way to a win on Monday.
The pair of wins dropped Brooklyn to fourth place in the lottery standings. Jordi Fernandez's team has one more win than the second- and third-place Sacramento Kings and Washington Wizards, respectively, and two more wins than the first-place Pacers.
Despite their recent wins, the Nets control their own destiny in the draft lottery race. Brooklyn's remaining schedule includes two matchups with the Kings, as well as meetings with the Pacers and Wizards.
A loss in those games would allow the Nets to climb into the top spot in the odds for May's draft lottery.
