Nets’ Cam Thomas sidelined for showdown against Suns after sudden departure

The Brooklyn Nets will be without their leading scorer during Wednesday’s road matchup with the Phoenix Suns. Cam Thomas will miss the game due to left hamstring soreness.

Thomas was pulled during the second half of Monday’s 128-120 win over the Golden State Warriors. The 23-year-old had been dealing with a lower back injury entering the matchup. When asked about the late-game decision, head coach Jordi Fernandez said he wanted to manage Thomas’ workload.

“I ended up taking him out because he took a foul, and he looked tired,” Fernandez said. “I didn’t feel it was right. And I just wanted to protect him from himself.”

Thomas posted 23 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field and 8-of-8 from the free-throw line in 23 minutes before exiting the game. The performance came after he posted 34 points on 11-of-22 shooting with six assists and one turnover during Sunday’s win over the Sacramento Kings.

Nets battling injury bug during West Coast trip

Brooklyn will also be without Noah Clowney against Phoenix as he tends to a sprained ankle. The second-year forward turned in one of the best performances of his career in Sacramento, scoring 18 points on a career-high five made threes before suffering the injury.

Nic Claxton (lower back strain), Dorian Finney-Smith (left ankle sprain) and Cam Johnson (left ankle sprain) are questionable.

Claxton missed Brooklyn’s last two games due to a back injury, which he has been tending to since the offseason. The 25-year-old recently received an epidural during a three-game absence. He’s faced an uphill battle to reach full strength this season, having also missed the entire preseason due to a hamstring strain.

Finney-Smith also missed Brooklyn’s last two games, while Johnson exited the Warriors matchup after rolling his ankle on Draymond Green’s foot. The pair of veteran wings have been integral to the Nets’ early success.

Johnson has averaged 18.3 points and 2.9 assists per game on 50/43/91 shooting splits, all career-highs. Finney-Smith has also posted career-highs in key statistical categories, averaging 10.8 points while shooting 41.0 percent from three on 5.6 attempts per game.