That shouldn’t have happened. On a night the Brooklyn Nets out-rebounded the Atlanta Hawks by 13, it was their inability to grab rebounds in the final two minutes that lost them the game. Brooklyn wound up losing 124-121 Saturday night, letting a game slip away that was there for the taking.
The opponent tonight is in a pretty interesting spot.
The Mavericks are looking to get back into the playoffs for the first time in a few years, and they hope the talent on the roster is good enough to get it done.
They picked up an NBA Cup tournament victory, 112-100, against the Utah Jazz at home on Friday night 112-100 NBA Cup win over the Utah Jazz at home Friday night.
Game Info
- WHO: Brooklyn Nets vs. Dallas Mavericks
- WHEN: 7:30 PM EST (6:30 PM CST)
- WHERE: American Airlines Center (Dallas, TX)
- WATCH: YES Network, DAZN, NBA League Pass
- LISTEN: WFAN radio
Nets vs. Mavericks Injury Report
Brooklyn Nets
- OUT – Egor Dëmin (right bone bruise)
- OUT – Mikel Brown Jr. (back-t0-back)
Dallas Mavericks
- OUT – Tarik Biberovic (right heel bursitis)
- OUT – Dereck Lively II (right foot surgery)
- OUT – Sergio de Larrea (right knee sprain)
The Game
Back-to-backs are tough, and going from Atlanta to Dallas is especially challenging. We’ll see how the Nets do in this one.
If they want to win, they’ll need to slow down an old friend. Kyrie Irving is back after missing last year with an ACL tear. He’s averaging 21 points a night while his shooting numbers remain strong, the way he’s getting his buckets looks a little different than what we’re used to.
His field goal attempts share of field-goal attempts inside of three feet is at the lowest mark of his career, while his three-point rate is at a career high. Chances are that’ll change the further he gets away from the injury, but it’s certainly something to keep an eye on. Either way, Irving remains a magnetic scorer and a blast to watch when his game is on.
Speaking of being on, Nolan Traoré continues to shine. The sophomore guard had 19 points and a career-high five steals in just 22 minutes last night against Atlanta on Saturday. He didn’t play in the fourth quarter, and with Brown Jr. out tonight Sunday, Traoré should get all the minutes he can handle. When Brown Jr. returns, we’ll see if the coaching staff finally starts to give the young guards more playing time alongside each other. The Nets have little to lose by giving that pairing a longer look. Why not give it a shot?
We’ll see if the Nets can be great on the glass for all 48 minutes tonight. Brooklyn did great for most of the night, but gave away possessions late with their inability to secure the rebound. Day’ron Sharpe and the team will look to keep Daniel Gafford, Morez Johnson, and the rest of the Mavs off the glass.
Speaking of Sharpe, the big guy collected the first triple-double of his career with 12 points, ten rebounds, and a career high 13 assists.
Player to watch: Cooper Flagg
I try not to fall for hyperbole, but I think I’m gonna make an exception here. Cooper Flagg is so damn good at such a young age and even in his second season as a professional, I think he’s comfortably one of the ten best playersin the NBA. He’s so good and at just 19 years old, has a chance to lead the next generation of men’s basketball in the USA in the next decade and beyond.
Something that will come with time and experience is the ability to make an impact at the end of games. In a recent game against the San Antonio Spurs, Flagg was relatively uninvolved in the Mavs’ crunch time offense. It was a bit of a surprise considering how excellent Flagg is, and David Trink of Mavs Moneyball has more:
“This is not to say that Flagg is incapable. We have seen him take over fourth quarters multiple times this year. If Dallas wants to be a serious playoff contender, however, they can’t have weird nights from him like this. Even if his shots are not going in, he has to demand the ball, and he has to take them. It is his job to take the pressure off Irving late in games. He’s young, so it is entirely possible he was in his own head after a poor shooting game. But learning to be the guy on a nightly basis and flushing the bad performances will be the next step in his evolution.”
And that next step is gonna be a doozy. That said, he’s been terrific already and it’ll be exciting to watch him ball out tonight.
It’s a homecoming for Julius Randle. The Dallas native is back home and is hoping to put on a show in front of his friends and family. He’s had his good moments so far, but he’s got to cut down on the turnovers. Julius has turned it over at least four times in five out of the last six games and a season high six turnovers last night. The Nets aren’t good enough to withstand that and will need their All-Star to make the most out of possessions every time he has the ball in his hands.
From the Vault
It’s probably been a minute since you watched some Dirk Nowitzki footage. Let me help you with that
More reading: Mavs Moneyball, The Smoking Cuban, Sports Illustrated, SB Nation NBA, New York Post, New York Daily News, Clutch Points, Nets Wire, Nets Insider, Yahoo Sports, CBS Sports, Steve’s Newsletter
