Tyrese Martin

Nic Claxton tallied 12 points (5-of-6 FGs, 2-of-3 FTs) and two rebounds in 22 minutes in Sunday’s loss to the Knicks.

After a disappointing start to the season, Claxton was able to redeem himself steadily. The Nets center finished as a seventh-round player in free-throw punt builds, which is only one round worse than his Yahoo! ADP. That said, Claxton’s rebounding and blocked shot production decreased, with the averages of 7.4 rebounds and 1.4 blocks being the lowest for him since the 2021-22 campaign. He’ll remain a key building block for the Nets next season, but the team is undoubtedly hoping that he’ll be more effective on the glass and as a defender.

Tyrese Martin, Keon Johnson, Jalen Wilson, Trendon Watford and Nic Claxton will start Sunday’s game against the Knicks.

Claxton is back after sitting out Friday’s loss to the Timberwolves. While Precious Achiuwa should be a good matchup for him, fantasy managers in active leagues should assume Claxton will not log starters’ minutes in the regular-season finale. Johnson, Watford and Wilson offer decent fantasy ceilings for Sunday’s loaded schedule.

Ziaire Williams (knee) and Reece Beekman (calf) have been ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Knicks.

Jalen Wilson will likely notch another start with Williams out of commission. Tyson Etienne is the prime candidate to fill in as the Nets’ starting point guard.

LeBron James (groin) is probable to play against the Timberwolves in Game 1 on Saturday.

Nikola Jovic (hand) and Pelle Larsson (ankle) have been upgraded to available to play against the Hawks on Friday.

Both players were upgraded to probable Friday afternoon and have officially been cleared to suit up. Jovic has been out since February 23, while Larsson was made available to play against the Bulls on Tuesday but didn’t see the floor. It’s unclear how much either player will play, but they will both be available if needed.

Tyler Smith (ankle) has been ruled out for Game 1 against the Pacers on Saturday.

Smith played in the regular season finale after missing the previous game with an ankle injury. He is back on the injury report after scoring a career-high 20 points against the Pistons. However, he didn’t play much during the regular season and certainly wouldn’t have had much of an opportunity in a postseason game.