Mikal Bridges, the NBA’s ironman, found the iron unkind.
Bridges jammed his wrist Wednesday trying for a dunk as he drove the lane and was fouled in the second quarter of the Nets’ 123-114 victory over the Rockets at Barclays Center.
Early indications are that Bridges avoided any trouble, but he was flexing his left arm throughout the rest of the first half, when he went 1-for-2 from the field and 3-for-4 from the line.
He came out of the halftime locker room before the rest of his teammates to shoot around.
“It was just bothering me a little bit,” Bridges said. “Just shaking it off. Not at all [a lingering concern].”
Bridges has never missed a game during his NBA career, leading all active players with 386 consecutive played.
He poured in 27 points Wednesday, including several big shots down the stretch to prove his health and continue a remarkable start to his Nets’ career.
Only five players in NBA history had more points than Bridges in their first 20 games after changing teams in-season.
“Everything seems to be OK from the quick synopsis I get from the [medical] group when we walk in together,” head coach Jacque Vaughn said. “I think he was trying to dunk that ball extremely hard with his left hand. That got it in position to start shaking that thing a little bit. So far, so good.”
Teammates weren’t worried about Bridges’ minor scare.
“He’s a tough dude,” Royce O’Neal said. “If he can walk and run, he’s going to play.”
It was Way Back Wednesday for Vaughn.
He was reminded before the game that one of his former Nets teammates from the 2004-05 season, Jabari Smith, is the father of the namesake rookie standout he was game-planning to stop.
Jabari Smith Jr. was the No. 3 pick in the 2022 draft.
“It’s pretty cool,” Vaughn said. “Jabari was a great teammate, very high character, funny dude, great in the locker room. … Could really pass the basketball, skilled for his size.
“That’s where the two — Junior and Senior. — [are similar]: The size and ability to handle the ball and play inside-outside.”
As the Nets’ season kicks into high gear, Ben Simmons’ season is over.
When Vaughn revealed Tuesday the team’s plan to shut down Simmons, who hasn’t played since Feb. 15 because of knee and back injuries, he had not yet talked with the point guard. That had changed by Wednesday.
“The time that he got to get consulted with a specialist gave him some answers, which is good,” Vaughn said. “Now he’s just going to be focused and geared towards the rehab. So basically I was just checking in on him and seeing how he was doing.”
The Nets’ games on April 2 and April 9 will air live on My9 due to a scheduling conflict on the YES Network.
YES launched a direct-to-consumer subscription service that includes the ability to watch all Nets games through the YES app. It is primarily targeted at fans who do not have cable television, but pay a monthly fee of $24.99 or an annual fee of $239.99 for YES’ content. A discount is available until April 30.
