NEW YORK _ When he spoke to the media Thursday afternoon, Nets point guard Spencer Dinwiddie was in a playful mood, joking easily about his "ultra-factual statement" about the Nets being New York's best team and the uproar that created among Knicks fans on social media since that preseason remark.
But the fun went out of the buildup to the season's final Nets-Knicks game Friday night at Barclays Center when the Nets announced later Thursday evening that Dinwiddie is questionable and is being evaluated for a right thumb injury.
An NBA source declined to confirm reports that Dinwiddie suffered torn ligaments that might require surgery, and the Nets indicated they will issue an update after a further diagnosis is completed Friday.
Dinwiddie took a fall during the Nets' win over the Magic on Wednesday, landing hard on his right hand, but continued to play and scored 29 points. On Thursday, he took part in the team's video session and walk-through, but there was no real practice.
When Dinwiddie spoke to reporters, he sounded like someone who expected to play.
Speaking about how Knicks fans have blown up his Twitter feed, Dinwiddie said, "When the Knicks do anything of a remote positive nature, I hear about it."
Asked if he expected the Knicks to be motivated by his remarks, Dinwiddie referred to his 25-point game in the previous Nets win at the Garden, saying, "Shouldn't they have done that last game? I think they understand as basketball players that nothing I said was inflammatory. I didn't say any of their players were bums or anything like that."
About three hours later, Caron Butler, a former teammate of Dinwiddie's in Detroit, posted a tweet in which he said Dinwiddie "has torn ligaments in his finger. He will get two other evaluations to confirm the diagnosis before a decision is made about further action."
The Nets' subsequent statement made it clear that the injury is to Dinwiddie's right thumb. Forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, who suffered a left shoulder strain against the Magic, also was added to the injury report.
The injury news put a damper on the enthusiasm surrounding a team that _ backing up Dinwiddie's words _ is on a five-game winning streak and has gone 18-5 in the past 23 games to climb to 26-23 overall and sixth place in the Eastern Conference.
Both the Nets and Knicks were 8-16 on Dec. 1, but the Knicks have lost seven straight, 15 of 16 and 20 of 22 since then to drop to 10-36, 14{ games behind the Nets.
The Nets managed their turnaround despite long-term injuries that have sidelined Caris LeVert and Allen Crabbe and disabled several other players for shorter stints.
Now they might lose Dinwiddie, who is averaging 17.2 points and 5.0 assists and has established himself as a candidate for the Sixth Man award. If he is out for any length of time, the Nets again will call upon the resiliency that has characterized them this season.
As Joe Harris said when asked Thursday what pleased him most about the Nets this season, "We had some tough bumps in the road early on and it could have been really easy just to pack it in and accept the fact that it's going to be a difficult season. But we stuck with it, turned the season around and we've been able to build off that."
