NEW YORK -- Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez did not play in Monday night's 130-94 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.
Kevin Garnett slid over and started at center in Lopez's absence, while Mirza Teletovic started at power forward.
Lopez thought he would be able to play when asked Monday morning, but ultimately Nets coach Jason Kidd and the team's medical staff decided to hold him out for a second straight game as he attempts to recover after respraining his left ankle in Thursday night's victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.
"Brook is a competitor, and he wants to play," Kidd said. "[But] for the medical staff and myself, I just felt that it's a risk and he wasn't 100 percent. Guys won't be 100 percent throughout the season, but he just wasn't moving as well as I'd like [during the morning walk-through], so we'll see how he feels tomorrow and go from there."
This was Lopez's ninth game missed this season as a result of a sprained left ankle. He missed seven straight games after originally suffering the injury Nov. 15 in Phoenix.
Lopez's absence usually is felt on both ends of the floor.
In his previous three games, Lopez had been averaging 24 points on 69 percent shooting.
The Sixers went in ranked second in the league in points in the paint (49.9 per game) and scored 50 against the Nets. In the previous eight games Lopez had missed, the Nets were giving up 44 points in the restricted area. In the 15 games he has played, they're giving up 36.3.
On the season, Lopez ranks fifth in the NBA in player efficiency rating behind Miami Heat forward LeBron James, Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant, Los Angeles Clippers point guard Chris Paul and New Orleans Pelicans center Anthony Davis.
Teletovic made his first career NBA start in his 70th career game, scoring 11 points with five rebounds in 26 minutes. He had made a career-high five 3-pointers and scored 17 points in Friday night's loss to the Detroit Pistons.
Forward Andrei Kirilenko (back) and guard Jason Terry (knee) remain out, although both could be nearing returns within a week or two, the team said recently.