Nets Guard Egor Demin Out With Right Leg Contusion After Boston Loss

Egor Demin will miss upcoming games for the Brooklyn Nets due to a right leg contusion sustained in Tuesday night's overtime loss in Boston. The guard exited TD Garden with 2:22 left in the second quarter and did not return to the court. The Nets fell to the Celtics in a game that featured strong defensive efforts from Brooklyn despite the final score.

The incident occurred during a defensive sequence where Demin and Paul George collided while covering a drive. Demin appeared to hobble on the following possession for Brooklyn. He limped into the locker room immediately after checking out and was ruled out for the remainder of the night.

Demin described the injury as a blow to the muscle and bone area. He told reporters that the pain had subsided since the moment of impact. "It was when [George] was driving by me, we ended up hitting each other's legs kind of, yeah," Demin said. He expressed confidence in his recovery timeline. "I think I'll be ready in a couple of days," he added.

The Nets had one of the league's worst defenses entering the game. However, they held Boston, the NBA's best three-point shooting team, to 11 made shots on 41 attempts. That 26 percent success rate represented a notable improvement for Brooklyn's perimeter defense.

Head coach Jordi Fernandez attributed the performance to improved coverages and complete team play. He noted that the team was still in a learning phase after four games. "I'm happy that they shot 26 percent. I still think that we contested the 3s for the most part," Fernandez said.

This matchup marked the first meeting between the Nets and Celtics since Boston traded Jaylen Brown. The Celtics selected the Philadelphia 76ers as Brown's destination. Brooklyn was among the teams that received an offer for the forward but decided against the move. Brown now joins LeBron James, Joel Embiid, and Tyrese Maxey in Philadelphia.