Nets get good news before latest loss

Teletovic Expected to Make “Full Recovery” From Blood Clots

January 29, 2015 By John Torenli, Sports Editor Brooklyn Daily Eagle

The Nets received a positive report on Mirza Teletovic’s health status before Wednesday night’s game in Atlanta. Associated Press photo

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The Nets were in dire need of some good news prior to Wednesday night’s game in Atlanta, where they ultimately suffered their 11th loss in 13 games, a 113-102 setback to the high-flying Hawks, who notched their 17th consecutive win at Brooklyn’s expense.

They got it in the form of a statement from team physician Michael Farber regarding the medical status of forward Mirza Teletovic, who has been sidelined for the past week and under observation in a Los Angeles hospital with blood clots in his lungs.

“Mirza was diagnosed with pulmonary embolus on January 22 and started on the appropriate medications for this condition,” Farber revealed. “Diagnostic testing was arranged and he was then observed until testing showed that he reached the expected therapeutic range. We are pleased to say that he reports no symptoms at this time and that he will be discharged to return home [Wednesday].”

“This was a true collaborative effort between our medical team and training staff and the local physicians at the Los Angeles hospital where Mirza was treated,” added Farber. “I am really pleased with how Mirza has progressed. We will evaluate him upon return, personally review all of the testing he had done, and arrange for further testing if necessary. I expect Mirza to make a full recovery.”

Teletovic, averaging 8.5 points and 4.9 rebounds in 40 games before pulling himself out of last Thursday night’s 123-84 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, was cleared to travel back to Brooklyn, where the Nets will host the Atlantic Division-leading Toronto Raptors on Friday night at Downtown’s Barclays Center.

Though his status as an NBA player isn’t quite clear yet, the Nets had to feel a bit uplifted by the report that their teammates’ life was no longer in imminent danger.

They responded with one of their better efforts during this epic slide, which began after they climbed back to .500 at 16-16 with a 100-98 victory in Orlando on Jan. 2.

Joe Johnson scored 26 points, Brook Lopez put up 18 points and pulled down seven rebounds off the bench and Jarrett Jack racked up 14 points and a career-best 13 assists for Brooklyn, which hung with Atlanta deep into the fourth quarter before the Hawks pulled away for good.

After being blown out by a combined 74 points in their previous two defeats, the Nets could ill-afford another embarrassing performance. Especially with reports circulating that the team is on the open market, head coach Lionel Hollins’ job security is tenuous and Lopez, Johnson and $98 million point guard Deron Williams are being shopped prior to the Feb. 19 trade deadline.

”That’s why they’ve won 17 in a row: they’ve produced every night consistently and their defense had been consistent every night,” Hollins noted after his team slipped to 18-27, but remained just a half-game behind Charlotte in the hunt for the Eastern Conference’s eighth and final playoff spot. ‘

“We had some stuff that gave them trouble, but they kept scoring and we couldn’t stop them,” Hollins added.

Johnson, dealing with tendonitis and clearly battling fatigue due to the additional minutes he has been logging due to the absences of Teletovic and Williams (fractured rib cartilage), benefited from the postponement of Monday’s scheduled home game against Portland.

He hit 10 of 19 shots from the field, including a 3-of-6 effort from 3-point range.

“The snowstorm, and the cancellation of the game, we got three days off,” said Hollins. “We got some pep in our step. Joe’s tendonitis was able to cool down a little bit. Jarrett was able to sit for a couple of days so we came out with a lot more pep.”
That pep didn’t translate into a victory, but it did remind the Nets that they aren’t simply a doormat for other teams to walk over on the way to the playoffs.

“We’re not a group that’s going to quite,” Kevin Garnett told the New York Post. “We’re going to come in, continue to work hard and try to snap out of it.”

Nothing But Net: With All-Star Weekend approaching, the Nets announced that they would have two participants in the events that will be staged at the Barclays Center. Second-year center Mason Plumlee will participate in the Feb. 14 Slam Dunk competition, and both he and rookie Bojan Bogdanovic will compete in the annual Rising Stars Challenge on Feb. 13. Plumlee and Bogdanovic, who will be on opposing teams, are the first Net teammates to be selected to play in the Rising Stars Challenge in the same season since Kenyon Martin and Stephen Jackson were both selected as rookies in 2001. Plumlee will take part in the game for a second consecutive season after doing so last February as a first-year player.