Nets vs. Bulls preview: Monday night hoops

SB Nation

The Brooklyn Nets were no match for the mighty Washington Wizards tank as the Wiz didn’t bother put an effort together on Saturday afternoon. As a result, they cruised to an easy win. It snapped a three

game losing streak.

The opponent tonight is looking to figure things out. The Chicago Bulls are hanging around the play-in race as per usual. They were home to take on the Denver Nuggets, but lost 136-120. Chicago has lost four games in a row.

Where to follow the game

YES Network on TV. Gotham Sports on streaming. WFAN on radio. Tip after 7:30 PM.

🤕 Injuries

No Michael Porter Jr. (right knee tendinitis) or Egor Dёmin (rest.) The three two-ways remain on Long Island. We will likely see the debuts of the two players the Nets acquired at the deadline: Ochai Agbaji and Josh Minott.

Zach Collins and Noa Essengue are out. Josh Giddey and Tre Jones are doubtful. Jalen Smith is questionable.

🏀 The game

Brooklyn won games one and two while Chicago took game three. This is the last meeting of the season.

The Bulls have been stuck in the middle for a long time, and this deadline they decided to do something approaching a rebuild. Bulls have lamented the team’s lack of true direction and over at The Bigs, Drew Stevens wrote about how Chicago management messed up:

“Whatever leverage might have existed at the deadline is now replaced by patience and circumstance.

At best, the Bulls gain cap space — useful, but circumstantial, entirely dependent on context. The upcoming unrestricted free-agent class offers limited upside, and the restricted market is unlikely to function as a reliable talent pipeline.

Flexibility, in this case, creates room, not momentum.

By waiting to move, the Bulls preserved options but quietly surrendered control over how impactful those options could be.“

Timing is everything.

Matas Buzelis has a busy weekend ahead of him. He’ll be heading to Los Angeles for the Rising Stars game and will be playing under Vince Carter. It’s a well deserved honor for the second year player as he’s taken on a bigger role and adjusted well to the tough circumstances in Chicago this season. The Bulls are looking to finally get back into contention and Buzelis will be a big part of that plan.

This one might get ugly for the Nets. With no Porter Jr or Dёmin, offense will be even harder to come by tonight. We’ll see what Jordi Fernandez is able to cook up tonight. Don’t be surprised if Noah Clowney gets an uptick in usage. It’ll be exciting to see how he does with the extra responsibility over the next few games.

👀 Player to watch: Anfernee Simons

A familiar face in a new place! Simons started the season with the Boston Celtics, but since the C’s have to do some salary cap maneuvering and Simons will be a free agent this summer, here he is. Although he was only in Boston a short amount of time, he left a lasting impact. From Gio Rivera at Celtics Blog:

“In Chicago, Simons will likely reclaim a starting role and have the opportunity to thrive and build a case for the kind of contract his talent deserves in free agency. His time in Boston, though brief, will be remembered fondly by the organization, his former teammates, and the fans for years to come.

Anferno earned that.“

Indeed. Simons will have a new opportunity to showcase his game and see if he can push this Chicago team into the postseason.

Nolan Traore continues to put good outings together. With the departure of Cam Thomas, look for him to start every game for the rest of the season. With Dёmin out, he’ll run the offense as Jordi Fernandez continues to push his growth and development. There’s still plenty to keep an eye on for Brooklyn this season, and he’s someone near the top of the list.