A heck of a fight, but no win to show for it. The Brooklyn Nets went into the desert on Tuesday night to take on an improved Phoenix Suns team. There were plenty of antics throughout the night and the Nets were competitive all the way through. However, it wasn’t enough as the Nets fell four points short.
The opponent tonight has hung tough and is one of the best teams in the Western Conference. The Denver Nuggets enter tonight’s contest third in the Western Conference and have a good chance of getting
back to the NBA Finals this year. They lost a close one to the Detroit Pistons at home on Tuesday night.
Where to follow the game
YES Network on TV. WFAN on radio. Gotham Sports on streaming. Tip after 9 pm.
🤕 Injuries
The following are out:
- Noah Clowney
- Egor Dёmin
- Cam Thomas
- Haywood Highsmith
- Ziaire Williams
Terance Mann is questionable.
The following are out:
- Nikola Jokic
- Aaron Gordon
- Christian Braun
- Cam Johnson
- Tamar Bates
Jamal Murray and Jonas Valanciunas are both probable.
🏀 The game
Brooklyn won the first meeting.
These next two days certainly won’t be easy. When this game ends, the Nets immediately hit the road to travel to Utah to face the Jazz. This part of the road trip is especially challenging as they have to navigate tough teams as well as a challenging environment.
Fortunately for the Nets, the Nuggets don’t force too many turnovers. Denver is 29th in the NBA in opponent’s turnover rate this season. Brooklyn is 28th in turnover rate when they have the ball, and we’ve seen them give games away with ill timed mistakes. Even without the Joker, the Nuggets are still incredibly tough and will be a great challenge for this Nets team desperately trying to snap this latest losing streak.
Without Dёmin, there should be plenty of minutes available for Drake Powell and Nolan Traore. Powell got benched after halftime on Tuesday, but should get another crack at it tonight for the Nets. This particular back-to-back will be draining on them, so it’ll be interesting to see how Jordi Fernandez manages their minutes in this one.
Injuries suck, but for the players remaining, it represents an opportunity to take on a bigger role and see how you adjust to tougher circumstances. So far, Peyton Watson has passed with flying colors. His shooting percentages have taken a big step forward even with increased responsibility on offense while still playing great defense. When Johnson, Braun, and Gordon return, Watson’s recent run of success will help make the return-to-play process easier for them as they won’t feel pressure to get back to speed quickly.
An old nemesis awaits Nic Claxton and Day’ron Sharpe tonight. Jonas Valanciunas is still a bear on the offensive glass and can still punish you in the low post as well. He’s never shot below 53 percent from the field in his career and even in year 14 has enough moxie and veteran savvy to always make something good happen. His absence from the first meeting was notable as Denver lost the rebound battle to Brooklyn by 11. It’s highly unlikely that happens this time around, so Sharpe and Claxton will need to match his physicality every trip down.
👀 Player to Watch: Jamal Murray
In a few days, we’ll find out if Murray will finally earn his first All-Star selection. Since Jokic’s injury, Murray has been averaging 27.8 points per game on .491/.395/.853 shooting splits in almost 37 minutes a night. It’s a lot to try and keep things afloat while Jokic heals, but Murray has been more than capable of keeping the ship steady while also expanding his game. Murray has hit plenty of big time shots in his career, and as the Nuggets progress through this season, his steady play will keep their championship window open. An All-Star game nomination would be a well deserved reward and acknowledgement of Murray’s excellence this season. Hopefully he gets it!
It’s going to be an incredibly emotional night for Michael Porter Jr. Across his seven years in Denver, he grew from highly touted prospect to eventual NBA Champion. During his time there, he fought through debilitating injuries and grew to become a steady, day in and day out contributor. However, it was time to move on and begin a new era in Brooklyn. The trade allowed Porter Jr. to blossom in a new direction and the Nuggets to chart a new path to contention. It should be all love tonight when MPJ is introduced, and as Zach Mikash of Denver Stiffs wrote over the summer:
“Most, myself included, will describe the Porter trade as a positive for the Nuggets, particularly when considering the move and how it improved the roster holistically. That doesn’t mean it isn’t bittersweet though. No, I’m not a fan of Mike’s lapses on defense and yes, I wish he would say less on podcasts, but I fully recognize what he did for this franchise and how big of a piece he was to winning a title. It’s always sad when a staple leaves a team and Mike is no different. He is a champion and he always will be just like he is a Nugget and he always will be. Thank you MPJ, for everything you did for this franchise. Yeah Mike!”
Win-win all around.
MPJ comes into this contest following a 36 point game against the Suns on Tuesday. Porter Jr getting hot gives Brooklyn their best chance to win, and tonight he’ll probably be extra amped to put on a show. He’s likely going to be sitting out Friday’s game in Utah, so don’t be surprised if he gets a few more minutes than usual tonight. It certainly will make for a fun show for the fans in the arena and at home.
📺 From the Vault
A lot of good times in Denver for Porter Jr
More reading: Bright Side of the Sun, 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
