Spencer Dinwiddie ran sprints after practice at the Nets' training facility in Brooklyn on Sunday, but the hottest team in the NBA will have to survive without its offensive-minded Sixth Man of the Year candidate for the next several weeks.
While Dinwiddie will undergo surgery Monday to repair torn ligaments in his right thumb, the Nets will look to add to their 19-5 surge without him in Boston against the Celtics, the team that is 3 { games above the Nets, who are in sixth place in the Eastern Conference standings.
"I think we view it as an opportunity to see where we're at," said guard Shabazz Napier, who scored 18 points in 28 minutes in Dinwiddie's absence in Friday night's win over the Knicks. "We do that with every single team no matter if they're last team in the Eastern Conference or the first team. We love the mindset of always challenging each other and always challenging ourselves.
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