Rondae Hollis-Jefferson looked like a heavyweight (OK, at least cruiserweight) fighter after the Nets’ 109-99 win over the Knicks on Friday at Barclays Center.
One game after being forced off the court with a shoulder injury, he took tons of punishment, hit the deck twice and was badly bloodied, needing four stitches over his right eye.
With the Nets leading 106-90 and 3:33 left to play, Hollis-Jefferson turned and was fouled by Noah Vonleh in a face-to-face collision. He went down hard with his face bleeding profusely.
“My [body] hurts,” said Hollis-Jefferson, adding of the hard shots he’s taken lately: “I’m from a place called Chester [Pa.]. It happens every day.”
The Nets were without Spencer Dinwiddie (thumb), Allen Crabbe (knee), Jared Dudley (hamstring), Caris LeVert (foot) and Dzanan Musa (shoulder). Asked if he feels the need to fight through it and play with his team so injury-riddled, Hollis-Jefferson replied: “For sure. I’m a fighter. We’ll be good.”
Hollis-Jefferson has dealt with a litany of vexing health woes, including a left adductor strain that cost him over two months and a starting job, and a right adductor injury he just returned from on Jan. 16 in Houston. Then came the shoulder injury that forced him out of Wednesday’s win over the Magic after just 5:52, and now Friday night.
“I think he’s frustrated a little bit,” coach Kenny Atkinson said. “I keep telling him, ‘Listen, you went through it before,’ and he came back to kind of push himself into the starting lineup. It just takes time, and Rondae’s a young player: He wants it all back in one game or two games.
“I just know him, and I have great trust in him. I’ve known him for 2 ½ years, and he’s going to get back to his level, he’s going to help us win big games, he’s going to defend major offensive players for the other team. He’s just got to catch his rhythm. Hopefully, it starts [vs. the Knicks].”
The Nets inked forward Mitch Creek to a 10-day contract off their G-League affiliate in Long Island.
“You feel like you’ve taken a step in the right direction. It’s a humbling feeling,” Creek said. “At the same time, the job’s not done. … We’ve got a job to do, and that’s to win games. Hopefully I can be a part of that.”
Creek could’ve stayed in Australia and made a much better salary playing there. But he stuck with chasing his NBA dream, and after averaging 14.4 points and 5.4 rebounds on 54.8 percent shooting with Long Island. Friday was Creek’s first NBA game and he played two seconds and made 1-of-2 foul shots.
“I just never wanted to be a guy that was 50-years-old with a beer on my belly on a dock somewhere saying I wish I’d taken that chance. … Now it’s just the icing on the cake right now. Hopefully I can eat a few more cakes,” said Creek, who has had some adjusting to do in Brooklyn, mostly the traffic and the weather.
“The weather is bloody cold. I’m as restless as a frog in a sock at the moment. It’s tough, I really struggled with the cold. I’m rugged up like three sheep.”