Working with great writers definitely has its perks. One of those perks is seeing your colleagues come up with great nicknames for certain players. Collin Helwig, I applaud you for giving Egor Demin the “Winter Soldier” moniker because that is exactly what he is.
The rookie stepped up big time in the clutch two days ago with his 18 points in the fourth quarter and overtime. Despite the eventual loss to the Magic, it was a heroic performance. All of you other NBA teams can have your Cooper Flaggs and Kon
Kneuppels and Derik Queens. Brooklyn has a Winter Soldier and Flatbush Five. (that sounded really cool, didn’t it.)
Tonight, the Brooklyn Nets, the youngest team in the NBA at 23.7 years, will take on the Los Angeles Clippers, the league’s oldest at 30.0. The Clips who also boast the NBA’s richest owner and its newest arena are finally (?) starting to see some light after a dreadful start of the season, one filled with scandal surrounding Kawhi Leonard and controversy regarding their summary dismissal of Chris Paul.
Despite sitting at the 12th spot in the Western Conference, the Clipper had a six-game winning streak. They’ve also gone 7-2 in the past nine games. That’s propelled them to a level of hope for a possible play-in spot. The Nets will look to finish their three-game homestand on a strong note.
Where To Watch
Check out the action at 7:30 p.m. ET on the YES Network and NBA League Pass, as well as streaming on the Gotham Sports App.
Injury Report
Ben Saraf (left knee soreness) and E.J. Liddell (right knee soreness) will be out. Tyson Etienne and Chaney Johnson will report to Long Island.
For the Clippers, Kawhi Leonard is listed as questionable after suffering a right ankle sprain against the New York Knicks. Bogdan Bogdanovic (hamstring) and Derrick Jones Jr. (Grade 2 MCL sprain) will be out.
The Game
In the sports world, we all have fallen victim to forgetting at times how great certain athletes are. Because of injuries and a bad media outlook, basketball fans quite literally made Kawhi Leonard underrated and a forgotten name amongst the NBA’s current greats.
Over the last 10 games, Leonard has reminded us again how great he can be. The 34-year-old has averaged 32.7 points on 50% shooting from the field. Among those games, there have been some monstrous scoring outbursts he’s recorded
—Against the Utah Jazz, 45 points.
—Against the Houston Rockets, 41 points.
—And finally, against the Detroit Pistons, the second best team in basketball, 55 points!
At a time when the organization has lost so much respect, Leonard has single handedly been the difference in this Clippers’ season, and depending if he will play tonight, the Nets will have to game plan on what they can do to limit his affect on the game.
In order for the Nets to win this game, it will come down to how much they can get from their bench. Each team’s starting five matches up almost identically, which is why players like Cam Thomas have the chance to make a difference during the game. Three of the Flatbush 5 have potential to add some production as well, especially Drake Powell. I believe his motor will help push Brooklyn to play some good basketball while he is in. And of course, when all else fails, we have our Winter Soldier.
Fun Fact: The Nets have four of the 20 youngest NBA players: Nolan Traore now at No. 8, Ben Saraf at No. 9, Egor Demin at No. 11 and Drake Powell at No. 19 while the Clippers have three of the 20 oldest: Brook Lopez at No. 10, Nicolas Batum at No. 15 and James Harden at No. 18.
Player to Watch: James Harden
Whether you love him or hate him, our old friend James Harden is continuing to do what he does best at a high level. Despite not shooting all that well, the fear of Harden either generating a foul or setting up an open man at the rim is still very much real. With season averages of 25.6 points and 8.0 assists, Harden’s elite guard play has been another reason for the Clippers turning over a new leaf as we approach the second half of the season.
Of course, he’s fragile but at 36, he remains an NBA superstar and because of his time in Brooklyn, Nets fans will always be watching.
From the Vault
Brook Lopez has come off the bench 23 times this season and his numbers at 37 years old are the worst of his long career. He averaging 6.7 points, 2.3 rebounds while shooting 36.5% from the floor. He’s still shooting 35% from deep and earlier this season, he set a personal high of NINE threes. But the end seems close.
So, is this his last appearance in Brooklyn? His brother has already retired and now he may soon be his turn. So when at the game tonight, give the Nets all-time leading scorer an extra cheer or two. It may very well be your last chance.
And remember his final game as a Net when back in 2017, he passed Buck Williams as the organization’s leading scorer with only seconds to go in his Nets career…
More reading: SB Nation NBA, New York Post, New York Daily News, Clutch Points, Nets Wire, Steve’s Newsletter, City of Nets
- Brooklyn Nets Game Notes – Brooklyn Nets
- Los Angeles Clippers Game Notes – Los Angeles Clippers
- Brooklyn plays Los Angeles in non-conference matchup – AP
- Nets’ Egor Dëmin continuing to show he’s made for big moments – Dan Martin – New York Post
