One more home game to go. The Brooklyn Nets will wrap up the home portion of the schedule tonight. They’ve won their last two games after beating the Milwaukee Bucks at Barclays Center on Tuesday evening.
The opponent tonight is firmly looking ahead to the NBA Draft. The Indiana Pacers knew what the deal was this season and have operated accordingly. They lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night — their third straight — and are now a game behind the Wizards and two games ahead of the Nets
in the race to the bottom. Another win by the Nets who are on the front half of a back-to-back would likely drop them into fourth or even fifth. So there is a lot at stake.
And here’s a not-so-fun fact. If there’s a three-way tie for third, the worst case scenario for the Nets in the lottery on May 10 would be ninth.
Where to follow the game
YES Network on TV. WFAN on radio. Gotham Sports on streaming. Tip after 7:30 PM.
🤕 Injuries
The following are out:
- Nic Claxton
- Noah Clowney
- Egor Demin
- Terance Mann
- Josh Minnott
- Michael Porter Jr
- Day’ron Sharpe
- Nolan Traore
- Ziaire Williams
- Danny Wolf
The following are out:
- Johnny Furphy
- Tyrese Haliburton
- TJ McConnell
- Andrew Nembhard
- Aaron Nesmith
- Pascal Siakam
- Ivica Zubac
Kobe Brown, Ben Sheppard, and Jarace Walker are questionable.
🏀 The game
Brooklyn won the first meeting while Indiana took the second. HIGH STAKES BASKETBALL ON DECK!
Indiana desperately needs to maintain their current draft position. The pick is protected from 1-4 and from 10-30. If it falls anywhere else, it goes to the Los Angeles Clippers. High stakes, high drama.
Drake Powell will look to make something happen tonight. Somebody’s gotta shoot and with Traore out, Powell figures to be that guy once again. We’ll see how the teams manage their rotations tonight considering… ya know.
Even in the final days of the season, there’s still an opportunity to impress someone. The players we’ll see tonight are playing for their jobs next season and if you put your best foot forward, you’ll always have a good chance to find something good. Micah Potter is looking to carve out a role on this team, and a while back he spoke about some of the things he tries to bring every night:
“Bring energy. Be a connector on the floor. Use my voice, set physical screens, or teams are starting to switch more often now, so creating angles for my teammates and for myself on screening. Hitting open shots. Making the right play. Playing winning basketball as best as I possibly can.
“I know the situation we’re in as far as guys being injured and things like that, so roles will change based on different lineups. But when I’m in the game, I try to play winning basketball as best I can, be physical, use my voice, and try to help my teammates and create for my teammates.”
Make everything count.
With this being the first leg of a back-to-back as we enter into the final weekend of the season, look for Friday’s injury report to be even more congested than usual.
As the Nets close out another lost season, they hope to enter into the off-season with optimism in the fanbase and trust that the lottery balls will break their way this time. Nets fans have taken a lot of hits in the 2020s, so maybe they’ll be due some good fortune for once.
👀 Player to watch: Obi Toppin
When the Pacers return to competitive play next season, Toppin figures to be a part of that. He’s been out for most of the year with leg injuries, but he’s here to chip in as much as he can at this point of the season. As the team starts to get healthier, they know that Toppin can be a major contributor on a championship level team. Once they get healthy and incorporate their new draft pick into the team next year, look for them to be back in the playoff hunt.
Fun fact: in a couple of mock drafts, the Nets are projected to take his Obi’s similar sized brother, J.J., in the second round. He averaged 20 and 1o for Texas Tech this season.
Jalen Wilson this is your time to shine. As the longest tenured Net that played on Tuesday, he’s got some familiarity with the organization and with the coaching staff. Similar to everyone else who will suit up tonight, Wilson is playing for a spot on this team next year. If he closes out on a high note, it’ll lead to Nets management having to think a bit more closely on how they can utilize him next season and beyond.
📺 From the Vault
WrestleMania is right around the corner, so the Vault’s getting a bit of an extra workout today
More reading: Fieldhouse Files, 8 Points, 9 Seconds, SB Nation NBA, New York Post, New York Daily News, Clutch Points, Nets Wire, Steve’s Newsletter
- Brooklyn Nets Game Notes – Brooklyn Nets
- Indiana Pacers Game Notes – Indiana Pacers
- Indiana faces Brooklyn on 3-game skid – AP
- Lottery Watch: Nets-Pacers becomes a high-stakes tank game with three to go ($) – C.J. Holmes – New York Daily News
