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The Brooklyn nets point guard Kyrie Irving was a late scratch against the San Antonio Spurs, but he didn’t need an MRI exam, and the team is hopeful he will return on Thursday.

“Yeah, the three things I said to our group being extremely professional, being consistent – and that’s what’s your approach, that’s with your mindset – and no excuses,” Nets coach Jacque Vaughn said. “I’m going to continue to preach that to the group. Not looking for any excuses. That’s just who we are.

“I don’t care about last year. I care about the now. [This] was the most important game. Now I’m trying to reload and be ready for Phoenix. But I’m not going to give them a chance to have excuses.”