Nets vs. Timberwolves preview: Evening hoops

SB Nation

I hope you all had a great Christmas and a wonderful time with your families, friends, loved ones.

After a restful holiday break, the Nets will be back in action Saturday against the Minnesota Timberwolves,

who will look to avenge their thrilling 142-139 loss to the Denver Nuggets Friday night, ending a three-game winning streak.

Oh, almost forgot to say, he’s backkkk.

Where to Watch

Catch the action live at 8:00 p.m. ET on the YES Network and NBA League Pass, as well as streaming on the Gotham Sports App.

Injury Report

Ben Saraf, Tyson Etienne, and E.J. Liddell will be on Long Island duties, Haywood Highsmith (right knee) will be out of commission. However, Cam Thomas is back after missing 20 games to his latest hamstring strain and Drake Powell is back after missing three to his latest ankle sprain. We don’t know the status of the newly signed two way, Chaney Johnson, the 6’7” 23-year-old wing who is the Nets newest two-way. Will he be in Minny with Brooklyn on his way to Atlanta to play Saturday with Long Island. With only Highsmith hurting, this is the healthiest the Nets have been all year.

After tweaking his shoulder in an offensive possession against the Nuggets, Anthony Edwards is questionable (shoulder) for Minnesota. Mike Conley is also listed as questionable. Terrence Shannon is out indefinitely with a foot injury.

The Game

With Cam Thomas being back in the lineup, his return sparks several questions for the rest of the year. Does that mean the tank is back on the table? Will he just be out there to increase trade value? Is he genuinely out there to help the little-but-very-convenient success that the Nets have had in December? How many minutes will he get? Shall I keep going?

All that I will say is that it is good to see Cam back. His scoring prowess is something that Nets fandom have been missing. Before injury, Thomas averaged 21.4 PPG in eight games played. Since his injury, Brooklyn has found a rhythm with the play of MPJ and the growth of the Flatbush 5. It will be interesting to see if CT will be able to include his way in.

Here’s what Jordi Fernandez said in announcing his return:

“I want him to be solid defensively…a great playmaker and a great efficient scorer. He’s more than capable to do all those things. If he doesn’t then I’m going to have to sit down with him & try to help them get there.”

For the Timberwolves, you have to admit, that man Anthony Edwards is pretty damn good. While playing with a hurt shoulder throughout the course of the game, he went ballistic for 44 points on 14-of-25 from the field despite the loss. Unfortunately, his night ended with him leaving the game early, but not too early to give the refs a piece of his mind. His exit was not voluntary…

The main question is, will he be in action tonight? Will his shoulder be healthy? If he is not, the offense will run its offense through Julius Randle. Either way, the Nets’ focus will be on the defensive end. If they can contain the Timberwolves’ main scorers by throwing bodies at certain players, they should be fine. It will be tough with the Timberwolves sitting in ninth place in 3-point shooting percentage, but that’s why we play basketball right?

Player To Watch: Jaden McDaniels

Jaden McDaniels is having the best year of his career scoring the ball, averaging 15.2 points on 50% shooting while also having the highest free throw percentage of his career at 87%. The 6’9” 25-year-old’s ability to shoot the ball while also having the athleticism to make plays at the rim is truly underrated. Beyond from the offensive side of his game, McDaniels is always a menace on the defensive end. There is a reason why Anthony Edwards was not hesitant to shout him out last year when going up against Kevin Durant.

From the Vault

As the year winds down, we celebrate the lives of the many sports personalities we lost in 2025. The list is long as it is every year and this year included a former New Jersey Net, Rodney Rogers who died at 54 a month ago. He had been paralyzed from the shoulders down in an ATV accident after his playing days but never stopped helping those in need founding a foundation to support individuals with spinal cord injuries.. We honored him on these pages in the past but we decided to remind people one more time of what the North Carolina big man brought to the game.