Nets Under NBA Review for Sitting Mikal Bridges, More Starters vs. Bucks
The NBA is reviewing the Brooklyn Nets after the team sat multiple starters for an extended period of time during a 144-122 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday (per Newsday).
Starters Nic Claxton, Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith and Cameron Johnson were all unavailable. Mikal Bridges and Cam Thomas, Brooklyn's leading scorers, played just 12 minutes each before sitting out the rest of the contest.
The Nets were able to cut Milwaukee's lead to just three points in the third quarter, although the short-handed group was unable to complete the comeback.
Brooklyn was playing in its fifth game in seven days and the team was set to begin a four-game road trip following the matchup with Milwaukee. Head coach Jacque Vaughn was upfront about his reasoning behind the Nets' starters seemingly resting.
"I've got to think short term and long term and make executive decisions for the betterment of the group," Vaughn said, via Brian Lewis of the New York Post. "It's unfortunate tonight that they just got to the point where we're putting them in harm's way by putting them out there tonight."
While his main goal was to preserve the health of his team, many of his players didn't share the same sentiment. Bridges, who has appeared in 424 straight games, told the New York Post's Zach Braziller that he would have preferred more time on the court rather than his short appearance in the first half to maintain his record among active players.
"The streak is, I guess, for everyone else to talk about. But I don't just get in there for the streak," Bridges said. "I get in there to play the game and because I want to go out there and win. I don't go in there to just sub in, get the streak and whatever. I just want to play."
Vaughn has earned a reputation for being cautious with his playing time, although it has resulted in discipline from the league before. The Nets were fined $25,000 by the NBA after the team sat eight players during the second half of a back-to-back in Dec. 2022.
