Nets’ Spencer Dinwiddie, Dennis Smith Jr. available Friday against Bulls
The Brooklyn Nets play their first game of the NBA In-Season Tournament on Friday against the Chicago Bulls and the good thing is, the Nets are getting healthier.
Hours before Brooklyn faces Chicago, the Nets announced that guards Spencer Dinwiddie (left ankle sprain) and Dennis Smith Jr. (left hip contusion) were available for Friday’s matchup against the Bulls. Dinwiddie and Smith initially suffered their respective injuries in Monday’s win over the Charlotte Hornets and both missed Wednesday’s win over the Miami Heat in which Brooklyn came back from a 16-point deficit.
Before the Nets announced that both guards were available for Friday, they were listed as questionable so it seems that Friday’s shootaround went well for both players. With both guards missing Wednesday’s game against the Heat, Brooklyn had the playing time available to allow forward Trendon Watford and guard Armoni Brooks the chance to show what they could do when thrown into the fire.
Watford put up 11 points, four rebounds, and four assists in 14 minutes while Brooks scored 17 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the field and 5-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc. Watford (+19) and Brooks (+30) combined for a +49 in plus/minus in the contest to show how important they were to Brooklyn’s comeback.
The Brooklyn #Nets say that Spencer Dinwiddie (left ankle sprain) and Dennis Smith Jr. (left hip contusion) are AVAILABLE for tonight's game at the Chicago #Bulls. Brooklyn will get some much-needed guard depth back on the floor.
— Sharif Phillips-Keaton (@SharifKeaton) November 3, 2023
