Ankle soreness keeps Seth Curry out of Nets win, unclear if he’ll return Tuesday

Seth Curry
Seth Curry warms up before a game against the New York Knicks at Barclays Center.
Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

On Thursday Seth Curry had his highest-scoring game as a member of the Brooklyn Nets, but the sharpshooter was absent from Sunday’s win over the New York Knicks. Curry was a late scratch because of left ankle soreness.

Nets head coach Steve Nash said that he had an issue that was bugging him, but they had expected Curry to play against the Knicks.

“I think just an early game. He couldn’t get it right before the game,” Nash said. “We don’t think — it’s been there. It’s not a surprise. We just thought he would play today, but I think with an early game he couldn’t get it right in time to go.”

[READ: Kevin Durant reminds NBA yet again of how dominant he can be for Nets]

The Nets did not practice on Monday as they prepared for back-to-back games on Tuesday and Wednesday. They’ll face the Magic on Tuesday night in Orlando and then travel back to Brooklyn for a meeting with the Dallas Mavericks the following night.

Nash didn’t say if he expected Curry to play in either of those games, but Brooklyn will have Kyrie Irving available for the game in Orlando.

Curry has appeared in 11 games so far for the Nets since he arrived in Brooklyn as part of the deal that sent James Harden to Philadelphia and Ben Simmons to Kings County. He has averaged 15.8 points per game since he joined the Nets.

Nash mentioned the Nets guard’s absence on Sunday as part of why Kevin Durant played 43 minutes in the Nets’ win over the rival Knicks. Durant had a herculean effort for Brooklyn, which struggled from beyond the arc.

The Nets shot just 20.7% (6-of-29) from three-point range on Sunday without Curry in the lineup. Patty Mills, Brooklyn’s other sharpshooter had just five points and made just one of his nine attempted three-pointers.

“I think we had plenty of good looks we just didn’t knock down,” Nash said. “That’s the game. You don’t make them every night, so you have to find out other ways to win.”