Inside The Nets

Nets’ Nic Claxton Suspended One Game

The Nets' will be without Nic Claxton on Wednesday night.

Declan Harris

Feb 24, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards guard Bilal Coulibaly (0) separates Wizards forward Justin Champagnie (9) and Brooklyn Nets center Nic Claxton (33) in the second half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Feb 24, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards guard Bilal Coulibaly (0) separates Wizards forward Justin Champagnie (9) and Brooklyn Nets center Nic Claxton (33) in the second half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
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On Wednesday night, the Brooklyn Nets are set to take on the Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder, as they look to bounce back off of a loss to the Washington Wizards earlier in the week. It appears that they’ll have to face Oklahoma City without one of their key starters, Nic Claxton.

It was announced on Tuesday afternoon that the NBA had suspended Claxton for one game due to his accumulated six flagrant foul points following Monday’s match against the Wizards.

The play in question that saw the Nets’ star get a flagrant foul occurred with nine minutes left in the fourth quarter, when he shoved Justin Champagnie while going after a rebound, with the two exchanging words in the moments after the play.

This season has seen Claxton receive plenty of flagstaff points prior to Monday night, with two other big incidents. These include his physical altercation with Dyson Daniels in late October, as well as his strike to the face of Franz Wagner in early December.

While Claxton has had a tricky season through the lens of discipline, he’s been having a productive year, averaging ten points and seven rebounds per game. However, it’d be worth noting that Claxton’s biggest contribution to the Nets’ may come on the defensive end of the court, as he averages one steal and 1.5 blocks per game, which includes eight games of three or more rejections.

This is one of the reasons that has allowed the Nets to have the second-best defensive rating in the league throughout February.

Jordi Fernandez will be left to use Day’Ron Sharpe in lieu of the suspension, as well as an injury to Noah Clowney, who reaggravated a sprain in his left ankle prior to the All-Star break. Throughout his 35 appearances this season, Sharpe is averaging eight points, six rebounds, and less than a block per game.

While the task of playing without Claxton may seem daunting for the Nets, it’s something that they haven’t exactly struggled with this season, posting a record of 5-2 in games where he didn’t suit up.

The Nets will take on the Thunder in the Barclays Center on Wednesday night, with top-off slated for 7:30 p.m. EST.

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Declan Harris
DECLAN HARRIS

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