Pierce in, Kirilenko out for Nets (UPDATE: KG OUT)

Kevin Garnett

Kevin Garnett
Kevin Garnett (AP)
Kevin Garnett will UPDATE: not return to the lineup tonight, the team announced shortly before tipoff. Paul Pierce, who has battled a shoulder issue on and off for four seasons and played just 73 seconds Sunday night, is good to go.

“I thought (Pierce) was out, and that’s the kind of player and competitor he is, he wants to play,” Kidd said. “I thought he was out, but when I saw him, he said ‘nope.’ That was a surprise to all of us. But that’s Paul, he wants to play, hurt or not hurt.”

The Brooklyn Game reported Garnett warmed up on the Nets practice court four hours before the game, hitting 43 of 45 mid-range jumpers and 15 of 27 three-pointers in shooting drills. He last played a 12-minute stint in a blowout victory over the Denver Nuggets on February 27th, and the team has gone 4-1 in his absence. Mason Plumlee will make his sixth straight start.

Andrei Kirilenko sprained his right ankle in the first quarter of Sunday night’s victory and will not suit up.