Claxton welcomes challenge at charity stripe

SAN FRANCISCO — The Hack-A-Clax is in full effect. And fresh off the best game of his career, Nic Claxton said if opponents want to keep fouling him, he’ll take it.

“I definitely take it as a challenge,” said Claxton following the Nets’ 120-116 win at Golden State. “I don’t care. If team’s are fouling me it’s almost a sign of respect. They can’t stop us, our team defensively and I just got to go up and knock the shots down. I’m going to take on that challenge every single time.

“It honestly gets me going, gets me activated because when I start getting fouled I want to go back to the line. If that’s what teams want to do then I’m going take on that challenge. And yeah I’ll be ready.”

Claxton went just 6 of 15 from the free throw line on Sunday, entering play a 47.1 percent free throw shooter this season. He went 1 of 6 during a 15-3 Warriors run in the third quarter, repeatedly sent to the stripe.

“Yeah, that’s mental part of it, that mental and physical,” said Jacque Vaughn, who left Claxton in. “This is great for Nic, because he’s gonna be counted on and when the playoffs come around. And if a team wants to use that strategy, he’ll continue to gain confidence in getting to the line and shooting. So we kept him out there. He’ll continue to be out there if a team wants to take that strategy.”

➤ Regardless of how much longer Kevin Durant is out, the Nets are going to be playing Kyrie Irving in pick-and-rolls and Ben Simmons off the ball. That means Simmons has a lot of work to do on his screening.

With Simmons — who had seven points and 11 assists on Sunday against Golden State — largely playing on the ball, the Nets managed just 23 3-point attempts in a loss at San Antonio on Tuesday and 26 on Thursday in Phoenix. For a team with Joe Harris, Seth Curry and Yuta Watanabe, that’s not enough.

Putting Irving at the point and Simmons as a screening forward opened the offense up in the fourth quarter against the Suns, and in a win over Utah on Friday. The results were immediate, going 18 of 41 from deep.

➤ Sunday was the first time Curry faced his brother Stephen Curry since joining the Nets.