BOSTON — Egor Dëmin was forced out of Tuesday’s overtime loss in Boston with a right leg contusion.
The Nets guard downplayed any worries over the injury afterward.
“I’ll be good,” Dëmin said. “I mean, it’s nothing serious, so I’ll be ready to go.”
Dëmin left the game in the first half and didn’t return.
After appearing to knock legs with Paul George while defending the latter’s drive, the Russian guard came up hobbling on Brooklyn’s ensuing possession.
Dëmin checked out with 2:22 left in the half, limped into the locker room and was ruled out for the rest of the night shortly thereafter.
“I just got kneed in the muscle/bone area … Now it feels better than it did right then. I think I’ll be ready in a couple of days,” Dëmin said. “It was when [George] was driving by me, we ended up hitting each other’s legs kind of, yeah.”
After getting lit up from deep and having one of the worst defenses in the league entering Tuesday night, the Nets held Boston — the NBA’s best 3-point shooting team — to 11 of 41 from deep.
They lost, but it’s an encouraging sign.
“Yeah, it’s one game. I don’t know. Percentages come and go,” Jordi Fernández said. “I think that we were on point with our coverages and we played a pretty complete game. So other than that, I don’t see the numbers in a certain way because we’ve only played four games and even if it’s still the process of getting better and learning.
“So yeah, I’m happy that they shot 26 percent. I still think that we contested the 3s for the most part. I got to look at the numbers and teams that shoot that well, sometimes you contest them and they still make them. So to answer your question, I’m happy with the defense, but regardless of [whether] the shots went in or not.”
The Nets game Tuesday at TD Garden marked the first time they’d faced Boston since the Celtics traded away Jaylen Brown.
It was a seismic deal that shifted the balance of power in the Eastern Conference.
And though Brown ended up in star-studded Philadelphia (with LeBron James, Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey), he could’ve landed in Brooklyn.
The Nets made a decision based on their assessment of the talent. Boston listened to all offers around the league and went with the 76ers.
