Brooklyn Nets center Kevin Garnett will not play Saturday night against the Milwaukee Bucks due to back spasms.
Mason Plumlee will start in Garnett's place.
Garnett, 37, has appeared in 49 of the team's first 56 games, though he's missed just one game due to injury, resting the other six.
Nets coach Jason Kidd wants to conserve Garnett to make sure he is ready for the playoffs. The 19-year veteran is averaging a career-low 21.0 minutes per game.
"I don't think it's a long-term [problem]," Kidd said. "This is his rest day. So, we'll get him some proper rest and see how he feels tomorrow."
Garnett got off to a very slow start this season after being acquired from the Boston Celtics in a blockbuster offseason trade, shooting 36.4 percent from the field in his first 28 games. But he has turned things around since the calendar turned to 2014, shooting 57.0 percent in his last 21 games.
"He competes when he's out on the floor at a very high level," Kidd said. "It might not be for 35 minutes or 40, but what he brings on a nightly basis to the locker room and on the floor are very important to us. He's been a big part of our success."
The Nets are 2-5 without Garnett this season.
Information from ESPNNewYork.com contributor Joe Totoraitis was used in this report.
