Sharif Phillips-Keaton, Nets WireThu, December 18, 2025 at 1:20 AM UTC·2 min readThe Brooklyn Nets are coming off one of the best wins in franchise history after beating the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday 127-82 to tie for the largest margin of victory. While Brooklyn got to see what they could look like when they're doing what they're supposed to on both ends of the floor, they will have to bring their best against the Miami Heat on Thursday.
The Nets announced on Wednesday that rookie guards Nolan Traore and Ben Saraf will be out for Thursday's game against the Heat as both of them are on assignment in the G League. Saraf did not play in Sunday's win over the Bucks due to an illness, but Traore played nine minutes in a game that got out of hand shortly after the first quarter ended.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWith Saraf and Traore in Long Island, that means that the only rookies with Brooklyn against Miami on Thursday are Egor Demin, Drake Powell, and Danny Wolf. Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez has given consistent playing time to the three rookies with Demin being a fixture in the starting lineup while Powell and Wolf come off the bench for plenty of minutes as well.
Moving on with the injury report, Brooklyn ruled out guard Cam Thomas and forward Haywood Highsmith with their respective injuries for Thursday's game against the Heat. However, Fernandez mentioned at practice on Tuesday that the team did not have an update on his recovery from offseason knee surgery following a setback, but that the team will likely provide an update on him by the end of the week.
Highsmith has not played for Brooklyn this season as he came into the season needing to recover from his surgery, but if he is able to return to the lineup sometime soon, the Nets could be even better. Thomas could be about a week away from returning from his left hamstring strain as well, but that depends on where he is at when the team reevaluates him.
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Full Nets injury report for Thursday's matchup against the Heat
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