-
Tim Bontemps, ESPN
The NBA announced Thursday afternoon that it fined the Brooklyn Nets $100,000 for violating the league’s player participation policy by sitting several players for last week’s home loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.
After the league investigated the incident — including having an independent physician review the matter — it was determined that four Nets rotation players who didn’t play in that game “could have played under the medical standard in the Player Participation Policy, which was adopted prior to the season,” the NBA said in a statement announcing the fine.
Brooklyn sat four players — Spencer Dinwiddie (rest), Dorian Finney-Smith (left knee soreness), Cam Johnson (right knee sprain/injury maintenance) and Nic Claxton (left ankle sprain/injury maintenance) — for the game, ultimately a 144-122 loss to the Bucks on the second night of a back-to-back after beating the Detroit Pistons the night before. Also, Nets coach Jacque Vaughn didn’t play Mikal Bridges, Cam Thomas or Royce O’Neale after the first quarter.
“I’ve got to think short term and long term and make executive decisions for the betterment of the group,” Vaughn told reporters before the game in explaining the decision to sit so many players. “So that’s where we’re at tonight.”
Brooklyn, which had won two games in a row entering that Bucks game, has lost five straight since that defeat, including being swept on a back-to-back in New Orleans and Houston on Tuesday and Wednesday nights.
The Nets return home Friday for the first time since that Bucks game to face the Oklahoma City Thunder.