The Nets got their first win of the season Sunday.
No, it didn’t come on the court or count in the standings because the team was off following losses at home to the Lakers on Friday and in Milwaukee on Saturday to drop its record to 0-7.
Instead, it was that no further tests were needed for Brook Lopez after he left Saturday’s loss with a sore right foot suffered during the third quarter and didn’t return.
Given Lopez’s injury history — he’s had three procedures done on that foot over the past few seasons, and missed almost all of the 2011-12 and 2013-14 seasons with a fractured fifth metatarsal in the foot — the fact he appears to have come out of this latest situation with nothing more serious than a little soreness will come as a huge relief for the Nets. The team is hoping to get its first win this week during a three-game trip to Houston, Sacramento and Golden State.
Lopez, who signed a three-year, $63.5 million contract this summer to remain with the only team he’s ever played for, finished with 20 points and four rebounds in 29 minutes Saturday night, and is averaging 20.4 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.7 blocks through the first seven games.
Sunday’s news was reminiscent of last October, when Lopez had his right foot stepped on by Kings guard Darren Collison during a preseason game in China. But Lopez missed just two weeks and didn’t have another issue with the foot — until Saturday night.
The truth, though, is the Nets and their fans will be holding their breath every time the word “sore” is associated with Lopez’s right foot.
Lopez initially injured the foot in December 2011, when he suffered a fractured fifth metatarsal during a preseason game. He wound up playing just five games that season, as he was shut down again that March.
Then, after playing 74 games and making his lone All-Star appearance during the 2012-13 season, Lopez had a procedure after the season to remove a bent screw in the same foot.
Lopez again broke the fifth metatarsal in his right foot in December 2013, knocking him out for the rest of that season after just 17 games. That led to surgery to not only repair that metatarsal for a second time, but a second procedure to try and lessen the stress on the injured part of Lopez’s foot.
He returned healthy and productive, playing 72 games last season. He missed two games because of the mid-foot sprain and another eight because of a lower back strain, and after a brief spell on the bench, returned to All-Star form, averaging 19.7 points, 9.2 rebounds and 1.8 blocks while shooting 52.5 percent from the floor to help the Nets surge into the playoffs for a third straight season.