Nets’ Cam Johnson, D’Angelo Russell sit out for key draft positioning matchup against Jazz

The Brooklyn Nets they continue to take a cautious approach with injuries to two of their best players as the losses pile up. Cam Johnson and D’Angelo Russell will be sidelined for Sunday’s away match with Utah Jazz. Johnson will miss his fifth straight game with a sprained right ankle, while Russell will make it fourth in a row with contusion of the right lower leg.

Head coach Jordi Fernandez said Friday that both players were day-to-day. Cam Thomas will also be sidelined for the Jazz matchup. He will miss the remaining four games of the West Coast trip with a strained left hamstring.

The Nets have lost four straight and Johnson, Russell and Thomas have been sidelined. During that span, their offense was dead last, averaging 99.0 points and 17.0 turnovers on 41 percent shooting from the field and 32.3 percent from three.

Cam Johnson, D’Angelo Russell’s long absences continue as Nets struggle

Johnson injured his ankle in the closing seconds of a road win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Jan. 2. He injured the same ankle earlier this season during a Nov. 25 road game against the Golden State Warriors. Fernandez said this on Wednesday The Nets expect the veteran wing to play during the trip.

Johnson has been Brooklyn’s most consistent player this season and one of the best wings in the NBA. The 28-year-old averaged 19.5 points per game on 50/44/90 shooting. He ranks fourth in the league in three-point percentage among the 60 players who attempt at least six per game, trailing only Zach LaVine, Kyrie Irving and Norman Powell.

Russell injured his calf early in his third game with the Nets after they acquired him from the Los Angeles Lakers. The veteran point guard has been efficient through his first two appearances, averaging 16.5 points, 10.0 assists and 2.0 turnovers per game on 50.0 percent shooting.

The Nets’ injuries during the Jazz matchup could prove beneficial in the long run. Utah is 3.5 games ahead of Brooklyn for fifth place draft lottery list. However, the Jazz will be coming off the second straight night of a 114-106 loss to the Suns in Phoenix on Saturday.

Jordan Clarkson (left plantar fasciitis), John Collins (left hip injury management) and Keyonte George (left heel inflammation) missed the Suns game. Their status against the Nets is yet to be determined.