LOS ANGELES — Nets forward Mirza Teletovic was taken to the hospital during Thursday night’s 123-84 loss to the Clippers inside Staples Center after experiencing shortness of breath.
“He told me he wasn’t feeling well, and that’s all I know,” Nets coach Lionel Hollins said. “He came to the bench and said something was wrong with him, so he asked me to take him out.”
The Nets said Teletovic had been taken to a local hospital shortly after halftime began. He played seven minutes in the first half, missing three shots — all 3-pointers — before taking himself out of the game.
There was no further update on Teletovic’s condition postgame.
Kevin Garnett has known Austin Rivers ever since being traded to Boston in 2007 to be coached by his father, Doc, and Austin was a prep star.
And Garnett said he thinks the best thing that could have happened to the younger Rivers was being traded to the Clippers recently, where he’s now getting a chance to play under the coach that led Garnett to a championship with the Celtics in 2007.
“It’s always good to see some of the family that [Doc] brought out to L.A. with him,” Garnett said.
“It’s good to see him and his son connect. It’s good to have Austin have another chance, another opportunity at the league. But it’s always good to see him, [Glen Davis], Sam Cassell back on that staff, so it’ll be good to see some of those guys.”
Austin Rivers — the 10th pick in the 2012 Draft by the Pelicans who hasn’t lived up to expectations — became the first NBA player to play in a game for his father’s team after the trade.
Garnett said that’s a credit to both of them.
“It’s different, but at the same time it’s a bit unique,” he said. “It says that not only is your dad well enough and good enough to coach in this league, but it also says your son was good enough to play in this league. That’s unique.“I think [if] most fathers or most relationships could be that way, I think they would. I think if you asked Mike Dunleavy if he would coach his son, I don’t see him denying that and I don’t see it the other way.”
Garnett (rest) sat out, missing his usual half of a back-to-back set after playing 14 minutes in Sacramento Wednesday.
Garnett has missed one half of eight of the 11 back-to-back sets the Nets have played this season. The only other game Garnett, averaging 7.0 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, has missed this season was for his one-game suspension for headbutting Dwight Howard last week.
As he continues his recovery from fractured rib cartilage, Deron Williams spent time working out with the players out of the rotation.
Williams, who missed his eighth straight game and ninth in the last 10, moved well around the court, getting up plenty of shots and even doing a little bit of quick post-ups with minimal contact.
He already has been ruled out of Saturday’s game against the Jazz, and the Nets have said there won’t be another official update on his condition until there’s a change in his status — presumably once he returns to practice.