The Nets are scheduled to play Maccabi Ra’anana, a professional team from Israel, on Thursday night at Barclays Center, a game that figures to get more attention because of the war going on in their home country.
Nets center Nic Claxton said the team discussed the possibility of canceling the game and added that he thought the game should not be played.
“We feel for the players that we’re playing against,’’ Claxton said after practice on Wednesday. “I don’t know if we should be playing the game. Personally, I don’t feel that we should be playing the game. But we feel for them and we’re gonna go out there and do our job.”
Asked why he thought the game should be called off, Claxton said, “Because there [are] bigger things going on in the world than basketball.”
He added the team spoke about what they should do, but declined to elaborate.
Israel has been at war since Saturday after being attacked by Hamas.
Head coach Jacque Vaughn said the Nets had been in touch with Maccabi, who still want to play Thursday, which is the team’s first of three scheduled exhibition games against NBA teams.
“Just organizationally, we have been in contact with Maccabi, and they have reiterated to us that they do want to play the game,’’ Vaughn said.
The team, which plays in the Israeli National League — the second-tier league in Israel — went on a similar tour last year and is made up primarily of players from Israel, as well as some from the U.S.
Day’Ron Sharpe, who suffered a sprained left ankle against the Lakers in the Nets’ preseason game on Monday, did not practice Wednesday.
“We’ll see what he looks like [Thursday],’’ Vaughn said.
Cam Johnson (hamstring) was also held out of practice, but Vaughn said he is “trending in the right direction.”
Vaughn said Cam Thomas “pretty much played in the flow of the offense” on Monday, but the coach also watched Thomas’ performance on the opposite side of the court.
“For me, I was looking at the defensive end of the floor,’’ Vaughn said. “Was he in the right position? Were the boxouts the way they were supposed to be? Were the matchups the way they were supposed to be? Was he detailed in his approach? Those things were really good.”
Thomas led the Nets with 26 points and played a team-high 22:18, shooting 9 of 14 from the floor and 4 of 7 from 3-point range.
Vaughn was also encouraged by Thomas’ willingness to shoot 3-pointers.
Dorian Finney-Smith could end up coming off the bench for the Nets.
“[He] has the ability to play in both units, just because he can do a little bit of everything,” Vaughn said. “[He has] the ability to shoot the three-ball for us, the ability to crash the glass for us [and] to guard multiple positions. So that fits in both units, whenever we get that situated.”
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