LeVert ‘OK’ after knee scare

OAKLAND, Calif. — Caris LeVert exited the Nets’ 116100 loss at Golden State after falling on his knee and didn’t return. But both LeVert and coach Kenny Atkinson said the rising young guard should be fine for Monday’s match in Minnesota.

“It feels OK,’’ said LeVert, who already was playing through a head cold when he took a fall midway through the third. “I just fell on it a little bit, but I’ll be fine for the next game.

“I think I was going to go

back in the game. “[But] I think we were down 20, 22 points, so I just didn’t go back in.”

LeVert checked out of the game with Damian Jones at the free-throw line, in the process of putting the Nets in a 72-55 hole with 7:47 left in the third.

Atkinson saw no reason to risk putting LeVert back in.

“It was precautionary,’’ Atkinson said. “It was a 20point game. We started to make a little bit of a run and then it went back, and I didn’t want to put him in. I put some other bench in to see if we couldn’t make a run.”

That bench was essentially Shabazz Napier, who had taken his first healthy DNP of the season on Friday night with the return of DeMarre Carroll.

Napier had played eight straight games after recovering from a hamstring injury. But with Atkinson unlikely to play more than 10 in the rotation, the former UConn

guard could be in a minutes crunch. His 14 points on 4of-7 shooting in 19:47 can only help his cause.

“Yeah, I think it’s tough to play more than 10,” Atkinson said. “I don’t say it’s out of the realm of possibility. These are the tough decisions because Shabazz played well for us.

“It’s just that we want to integrate DeMarre and figure out where he is and how he can help us. ... Is he going to play more at the wing? Is he going to play more at the four? It’s to be determined.”

Despite being one of the teams Jimmy Butler told Minnesota he’d like to be traded to, the Nets’ chances just went from slim to none when the four-time All-Star was dealt, per multiple reports, to the division rival 76ers. Now the Nets play at the Butler-less Timberwolves on Monday, aiming for a 3-1 road trip.

“Very, very [important],” said D’Angelo Russell. “We want to be greedy on this road trip.’’