CHICAGO (AP) - Brooklyn guard Joe Johnson’s foot is feeling better, and that’s about all he was willing to say about his status for Game 3 of the Nets’ playoff series against the Chicago Bulls.
Johnson hurt his left foot in the first quarter of the Bulls’ 90-82 win Monday. He remains a game-time decision with the series shifting to the United Center on Thursday night.
“I feel a little better than I did yesterday,” Johnson said while sitting on the scorers’ table before the Nets’ shootaround.
Johnson was acquired in a trade with Atlanta last summer and averaged 16.3 points in his first season with the Nets. He had 17 points on 6-of-18 shooting in 39 minutes in Game 2.
Johnson’s absence would leave Brooklyn without one of its most reliable scorers against the defensive-minded Bulls.
“We need Joe out there, you know,” point guard Deron Williams said. “I mean, he’s a big part of this team. Added scorer out there that we need on the floor, commands double teams when he’s out there, so we need him, we need him healthy.
“That being said, we don’t know how he’s feeling.”
Johnson missed several games during the regular season with a heel injury. He remained on the sideline at the start of the Nets’ shootaround, and was unsure how much he would participate in the morning session.
“Honestly, I don’t even know. I don’t even know what the plan is,” he said. “So I’m just going to go on the floor.”
Interim coach P.J. Carlesimo declined to provide any details. Asked about the plan for Johnson for the day, Carlesimo responded: “We’ll see if he can play. If he can play, he’ll play.”
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