Nets’ Nic Claxton ruled out against Knicks, to miss at least a week with lower-back strain

Hours before their interborough battle with the Knicks, the Nets lost a big piece of their starting lineup.
Nic Claxton was diagnosed Friday with a lower-back strain and is set to miss at least a week, the Nets announced.
The 6-11 center had been listed as questionable before he was ruled out Friday. He received an epidural injection and is expected to be reevaluated in seven days, head coach Jordi Fernandez said.
“I don’t know what play it [happened on],” Fernandez said during his pregame press conference at Madison Square Garden. “I know it’s been an issue that’s been lingering a little bit with his lower back. … Not super concerned. We want to keep him healthy. His body is the number one thing for us, and now, it’s next man up.”
In Claxton’s absence, the Nets reinserted 6-10 guard Ben Simmons into their starting lineup, alongside fellow guards Dennis Schröder and Cam Thomas and forwards Cam Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith.
The Nets’ depth at center has already been tested, as they remain without backup big man Day’Ron Sharpe, who suffered a hamstring strain during a training camp practice. The Knicks, too, were without their starting center Friday, as Karl-Anthony Towns was ruled out with a knee injury about 30 minutes before tip-off.
It’s been a tricky start to the season for Claxton, who re-signed with the Nets in June on a four-year, $100 million contract. After suffering a hamstring injury before the start of the preseason, Claxton began the regular season on a minutes restriction and did not return to the starting lineup until the Nets’ eighth game.
Claxton, 25, is averaging 8.6 points in 24.8 minutes through 11 games, including five starts. His 7.7 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game both lead the Nets.
Now in his sixth NBA season, all with the Nets, Claxton logged a season-high 32 minutes during Saturday’s loss in Cleveland, then played 32 minutes again in Monday’s win in New Orleans.
He played 24 minutes in Wednesday’s 139-114 loss to the Celtics at Barclays Center, scoring three points on 1-of-3 shooting while grabbing five rebounds.
The Nets’ starting lineup Friday was the same as what they mostly deployed at the beginning of the season when Claxton was ramping back up. Simmons moved to the bench after Claxton returned to the starting five.
Simmons, who has dealt with back injuries throughout his Nets tenure, sat out of Wednesday’s loss with left calf tightness, while Finney-Smith missed that game with a left ankle sprain.
“A lot of times, you have to just simplify things, but you just put five guys on the court,” Fernandez said of navigating the Nets’ injuries. “Help them, be positive with them. … If you have five plays, maybe you run three, but you’ve got to run them very well. You’ve got to take good shots, you’ve got to guard, and you go out there and compete.”
A 2019 second-round pick out of Georgia, Claxton averaged at least 11.8 points, 9.2 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game in both of the last two seasons.
In re-signing Claxton, the Nets identified the center as a long-term building block amid their franchise reset. The new deal came during an offseason in which the Nets traded star forward Mikal Bridges to the Knicks for a package that included five first-round picks.
Brooklyn’s next week includes another meeting with the Knicks at the Garden on Sunday, a home game against the Hornets on Tuesday and a matchup with the 76ers in Philadelphia next Friday.