Nets vs. Warrior preview: Hall of Famer alert

Ladies and gentlemen, I know many of you will not want to hear this, but the Brooklyn Nets have been a really good basketball team, and dare I say it, REALLY fun to watch. Other than shooting 27% from beyond the arc, the Nets approached near perfection Saturday in Minneapolis. More than that, they s

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What is the story about?

Ladies and gentlemen, I know many of you will not want to hear this, but the Brooklyn Nets have been a really good basketball team, and dare I say it, REALLY fun to watch. Other than shooting 27% from beyond the arc, the Nets approached near perfection Saturday in Minneapolis. More than that, they simply outworked and had more fun than the restless Minnesota Timberwolves. And Cam Thomas, oh my goodness. Please let me know if you ever seen Cam play a better game. I got some time.

Tonight, the Nets

will look to carry that momentum back into Barclays against the Golden State Warriors. Golden State currently stands at an exact .500 record, which sits them in the eighth spot in the Western Conference. When your corps has won four rings, that’s not good. More below.

Where To Watch

Check out the action at 7:30 p.m. ET on the YES Network and NBA League Pass, while also streaming on the Gotham Sports App.

Injury Report

Ben Saraf, Tyson Etienne, E.J. Liddell, and newcomer Chaney Johnson will all be on Long Island duties. Haywood Highsmith will be out due to his right knee.

For the Warriors, Al Horford (rest). L.J. Cryer (low back strain), Seth Curry (pelvis), and De’Anthony Melton (knee) — the latter two former Nets — will be out.

The Game

The Warriors are coming off a bad overtime loss to the Toronto Raptors after being up by double digits in the fourth quarter. Scottie Barnes played an excellent game as he went off for an insane 23 point, 25…. yes 25, rebounds, 10 assist triple double.

Steve Kerr said it best. The Warriors are now a “fading dynasty” Yes, he used those precise words. When you really look at it, the rest of the league are benefiting from a style that Golden State perfected a decade ago. But with that being said, one thing has always stayed consistent (besides Draymond’s excessive technical fouls). Of course, that has been Stephen Curry. In what seems like a down year for the team, Curry is averaging close to 29 PPG on 46% shooting and 38.9% from downtown. At 37 years old, Curry continues to be a spectacle that you just have to tip your cap to. If he decides to not play, dare I say that this can be the fourth game in a row the Nets can win.

Out of all the things in the 123-107 win against Minnesota, the one thing that I loved was how Cam Thomas and MPJ were able to coexist AND be efficient on the floor. In the beginning of the season, it was almost certain that these two would be ball stoppers and just hoist up shots. But against the T-Wolves, with Cam coming off the bench, the brand of basketball the Nets played was just great. I think we might see some more of that tonight. ICYMI, Thomas had 30 and MPJ 27.

I expect Nic Claxton and Day’Ron Sharpe to produce valuable minutes as well, especially with the lack of size on the Warriors side. Those possessions where you see Clax just go at the opposing center from the top of the key, yea expect a lot of those.

Player To Watch: Jimmy Butler

Averaging 19.6 PPG, 5.6 rebounds, and 4.9 assists on 51% shooting is a typical Jimmy Butler stat line at this point. As arguably the best initiating ball handler on the team, Butler holds a lot of value when the ball is in his hands. Although not the best shooter (and sometimes non-willing), Butler has always known to get to his spots efficiently. He can also orchestrate your offense while guarding your best player, which is why he is scary. The Nets will definitely look to try to contain him as best as they could in order to get the victory.

Butler is the kind of guy who can humble the Nets with his crazy all-around game. But even he is getting criticism for lackadaisical play as Golden State of Mind’s Joe Viray noted in dissecting a play that went awry.

In the specific instance above, the mistake turned out to be Jimmy Butler willingly dribbling along the sideline and creating a third inanimate defender alongside the other two Raptors’ defenders who are attempting to trap him. Butler is compelled to escape from a potential trap by rushing and passing the ball while jumping up in the air — and in the hands of a red jersey.

From the Vault

Steph Curry has great games against all the other 29 teams in the NBA and the last time he was in Brooklyn was extra special. He scored 40 points, which wasn’t that extraordinary and the Warriors won, also not extraordinary but with the clock ticking down just before half time, Curry provided an example of San Francisco cool.