Nets vs. Mavs preview: Snow Day!

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - FEBRUARY 20: P.J Washington #25 of the Dallas Mavericks grabs the rebound during the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on February 20, 2026 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this

Summarized by AI ⓘ

What is the story about?

Back home to a snowstorm! The Brooklyn Nets wrapped up their three game road trip with an afternoon affair against the Atlanta Hawks. Brooklyn had a lead for much of the game, but the Hawks closed the game on a 24-2 run to hand the Nets their fourth consecutive loss. Brooklyn leaves the road and comes home to a whole bunch of snow. Winter is no joke!

The opponent tonight is transitioning into another era. The Dallas Mavericks look pretty different these days and are likely looking ahead to the Draft.

The team snapped a ten game losing streak with a road win against the Indiana Pacers on Sunday afternoon.

Where to follow the game

YES Network on TV. WFAN on radio. Gotham Sports on streaming. Tip after 7:30 p.m. ET.

🤕 Injuries

Nothing doing for Brooklyn. Another clean slate, their second in the last nine games. Extraordinary in the tanking era. The three two-ways remain with Long Island.

The following players are out:

Kyrie Irving
Cooper Flagg
Dereck Lively II

Ryan Nembhard and Moussa Cisse are doubtful. Daniel Gafford is questionable.

🏀 The game

Dallas won games one and two. Thanks to the Commissioner’s Cup, we get the ultra rare third cross-conference regular season matchup!

Everyone across the city is trying to dig themselves out of the snow, and the Nets are scheduled to make it back in to town early this afternoon. The Mavs were stranded in Indianapolis and as of noon hadn’t left yet. Best of luck to everyone in this one.

The Mavs have made a mess of things over the past few years, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. With Flagg playing like a franchise star, things are looking bright despite the antics of Patrick Dumont and Miriam Adelson. Dallas has one franchise player on board, and pairing Flagg with another one in the Draft could get the Mavs back in the playoffs as soon as next season. From Tyler Edsel of Mavs Moneyball:

Dallas, as an organization, needs to ask itself tough questions to figure out where we’re going here. Keep the team as is, win 32 games, and in all likelihood miss out on the best guards in the draft? Or sell off some veterans for some draft assets, set yourself up to have a step back this season and enhance your chance at acquiring Cooper Flagg’s point guard of the future.

The choice is clear and obvious. It’s time for the Mavericks to get serious about the build around Cooper Flagg, something I’ve been calling for since the Lottery in May. For the future of the organization, the Mavericks have to get this right, right now. That can only mean one thing for Dallas: It’s time to sell and race to the bottom.

A temporary setback for a major comeback, if they play their cards right. Interestingly, two former Nets — Jason Kidd, the Mavs head coach, and Matt Riccardi, the Mavs co-interim GM — will play big roles in whatever the team does going forward.

It’s taken a while, but maybe Marvin Bagley has put it all together? Bagley III came over from the Washington Wizards in the Anthony Davis trade and has done well in his new city. In five games, he’s averaging close to a double-double on 53.5 percent shooting from the field. If he can keep this up, he’ll earn a permanent spot on this team and be someone Jason Kidd can count on in the future.

The Nets are going to need to be a lot better on the boards if they want to compete tonight. Atlanta beat them by 18 in the rebounding battle on Sunday, and any team is gonna make you pay if you give them extra opportunities. Nic Claxton and Day’ron Sharpe will be tasked with fixing that area and controlling Bagley III on the other side.

👀 Player to watch: PJ Washington

The Mavs are looking to find their building blocks of the future. Washington should be one of the people Mavs ownership has in mind. Washington has had to do a little bit more on offense this season and his numbers are in the ballpark of where they were last season. At 27 years old and in the first year of an extension, he’ll be someone Dallas should be able to count on in the years to come.

What should the Nets do with Michael Porter Jr? MPJ’s been in a shooting slump, but Steve Lichtenstein thinks it could be something deeper:

“Porter suffered an MCL sprain during a January 7 game versus Orlando and sat out a few games before the All-Star break with tendonitis in that knee, though reports noted that the two injuries were unrelated. Porter’s misfires during this period, including the 7-of-8 three-point attempts in Atlanta, haven’t just been of the in-and-out variety; they’ve often been wildly off, an indication that what’s gone awry could very well be due to something physical in nature.

Considering the Nets are already 11 games out of play-in contention, the prudent course of action would be to shut Porter down, as many other teams in tanking mode have been doing when their best players suffer injuries.“

To the last point, if the league wants to knock on your door because you’re sitting a possibly injured player, let them.

Porter Jr isn’t on the injured list, so he’ll be out there. All but one of MPJ’s makes came at the rim, so the Nets are going to need to find easier shot attempts for him. He’s shown throughout this season that he can heat up at a moment’s notice. One good game could get him back on track and looking more like the player that was an All-Star candidate.

📺 From the Vault

The USA and Canada played a game for the ages for the gold medal in the last event of the Olympics on Sunday. The US captured their first gold medal in hockey since 1980 and Jack Hughes’ golden goal in overtime sealed the upset victory. For US hockey, this win was extra meaningful and as we venture back to the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver, you see why…