Brook Lopez Gives Nets Injury Scare

(NEW YORK) — The Brooklyn Nets have yet to win a game this season, falling to 0-7 after a 94-86 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night, but they can breathe a huge sigh of relief knowing that they will still have their best player in the lineup going forward.

Franchise center Brook Lopez left the game in the third quarter with soreness in his right foot.  It’s the same foot that he has undergone three surgeries in an 18-month span, leaving Nets fans everywhere to hold their collective breaths.  X-rays were negative at the arena, according to the team.

Yahoo Sports reported that Lopez will not require any more testing on his foot, and that he will be in the lineup when the Nets square off against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night.

There could be speculation as to whether or not Lionel Hollins is playing Lopez too many minutes, which could be a big reason why Lopez is sore.  He played 39 minutes in Friday night’s loss to the Los Angeles Lakers and then played 29 minutes on Saturday.  Hollins is also stuck between a rock and a hard place, because the Nets currently do not have a healthy backup center on the roster.  Andrea Bargnani and Thomas Robinson have played some center for the Nets, but both players are natural power forwards.  Willie Reed should be the backup center when he returns to the lineup.  He was dealing with a quad strain suffered in training camp and then tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his right thumb in his only preseason game.  He should be back sometime in late November/ early December.

Lopez is no stranger to foot injuries.  Last season, he suffered a right mid-foot sprain that caused him to miss the team’s first two regular season games.  He was able to get back to his old self on the court, helping the Nets reach the postseason for the third consecutive year.

Lopez resigned with the Nets over the summer for three years and $63.4 million.  They are the only NBA team he’s ever played for.  Despite the team’s struggles, Lopez is off to a hot start this season with averages of 20.4 points and 7.7 rebounds per game.