Nic Claxton comes up big again for depleted Nets: ‘unbelievable basketball’

With Thursday’s 3 p.m. trade deadline approaching quickly, the Nets continue talk about how much they need Nic Claxton.

The center played 35 minutes in Tuesday’s 119-107 loss to the Mavericks, one night after playing 32.

To make Tuesday even more difficult, he had to face Luka Doncic and former teammate Kyrie Irving.

Claxton put up a fight, scoring nine points, grabbing 11 rebounds and tallying five blocks — including two on Doncic and one on Irving.

“I thought Nic’s ability on Doncic, as we switched things up to guard him and really get some stops, was impressive. Nic has been playing some unbelievable basketball, probably the best I’ve seen since I’ve been around him,” head coach Jacque Vaughn said after the Nets’ third loss in the past five games.

“The way he’s talking, commanding the defense — his ability to guard on the perimeter and then still get back to rebound is high level, and he is taking ownership of it. And to see him grow, so much credit to him for showing up and 35 minutes again.”

Claxton has never admitted that the extra workload has bothered him, mentioning previously it’s a good challenge for him.

With Ben Simmons playing, though on a minutes restriction, Claxton will usually not share minutes with him too often, to space out their size.

Additionally, the Nets are without four of their taller rotational players — Cam Johnson, Lonnie Walker IV, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Day’Ron Sharpe.

The past two games may have shown Claxton’s “frustration,” as Vaughn termed it, after back-to-back flagrant fouls.

Against the Warriors on Monday, Claxton was ejected in the fourth quarter for a type-2 flagrant foul for going after Brandin Podziemski when grabbing an offensive rebound.

Tuesday night, he was assessed a type-1 flagrant on Doncic in the third quarter.

“He needs his teammates to cover his back when he’s guarding guys and blocking shots,” Vaughn had said Monday.

The coach reiterated Claxton had been communicating with his teammates, such as after an early third-quarter timeout that sparked some more offense.

“We had two mistakes on the defensive end that we should have been in tune, lockstep with,” Vaughn said. “We were more organized after that timeout, and again, I give credit, that’s another example of Nic stepping up in a timeout.

“Being able to be vocal and getting our group to lock in … he has been unbelievable for us. He was in that timeout saying what we should be doing and as we talked things through, it definitely clicked for us.”

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Finney-Smith (left ankle sprain) missed a reunion game with Dallas, where he spent seven seasons before coming to Brooklyn in the Kyrie Irving trade.

“I think overall he’s just been disappointed that he hasn’t been able to play for us,” Vaughn of Finney-Smith before the game. “And he’s not a guy that, you know, wants to be hurt, one of our guys who really enjoys playing and battling and unfortunately, he hasn’t been able to. We miss him.”