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Trail Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic left the locker room without taking media questions following Portland’s 101-97 loss to the Brooklyn Nets tonight, according to multiple reports. Nurkic earned less than a minute on the floor during the decisive fourth period. Trail Blazers Head Coach Terry Stotts explained his absence:
Stotts on why Nurkic did not play in the 4th QTR: "I thought with their small lineup, I thought defensively we were giving up too much when he was in there and I like Ed's athleticism."
— David MacKay (@DavidMacKayNBA) November 11, 2017
“Ed” refers to reserve center Ed Davis. The rest rolled downhill from there.
After playing less than a minute in the 4th quarter, Jusuf Nurkic left the Blazers' locker room before reporters arrived.
— Joe Freeman (@BlazerFreeman) November 11, 2017
Don’t expect comments from Jusuf Nurkic tonight. He left as reporters entered locker room.
— Jason Quick (@jwquick) November 11, 2017
Nurkic scored 21 on 10-20 shooting in 25 minutes of play against the Nets. The 23-year-old center is averaging 15 points and 7.5 rebounds in 27 minutes per game this season. He was acquired from the Denver Nuggets last February. His discontent playing limited minutes behind Nikola Jokic was reputed to be among the reasons the Nuggets parted with him.