PREVIEW OF GAME AND INJURY REPORT: Dallas Mavericks vs. Brooklyn Nets.
The Nets take on some well-known opponents on the second night of a back-to-back.
The Nets have been strong the last week despite losing to the Warriors on the opening night of their back-to-back. Now that Kyrie Irving and the Dallas Mavericks are coming to the Barclays Center, they have a familiar opponent.
Irving is not the only prominent player on the court this evening; MVP contender Luka Doncic is also a Mavericks player. In the previous meeting, which took place in late October and ended in a 120–125 Brooklyn loss, the Slovenian star scored 49 points.
Brooklyn faces a challenging matchup.
Because of Kyrie and Luka, the Mavs are among the hardest teams to play against. It would be difficult for the Nets to contain these two of the league’s most prolific scorers, even with their best defenders. Defending the two superstars will be a task for Dennis Smith Jr. and Mikal Bridges.
The guys from Brooklyn will be motivated to win after suffering a heartbreaking defeat to Golden State. The Nets are under pressure to perform because the team wants to show that they won the trade, especially with Kyrie in the building. Kyrie’s response at Barclays Center will probably be mixed, but he should play to the best of his abilities.
Mikal will be responsible for the defense, which means Cameron Thomas will be the main scorer for the Nets. But don’t write Bridges off just yet; he’ll find a way to cut into the paint and make off-ball threes to help the offense. Given that they have combined for more than 50 points in Brooklyn’s victories this past week, this combo ought to be an important component of the Nets’ winning strategy.
Nic Claxton is also a player to watch for Brooklyn because he’s likely eager to produce after his dismissal against Golden State. Dallas’ big guys are not particularly good at defense, so expect him to play well on both ends of the court in this game after he had seven blocks against the Warriors.
Report on injuries.
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Unfortunately, Day’Ron Sharpe and Dorian Finney-Smith are still out for the Nets, adding to their already extensive injury list. Both Cameron Johnson and Lonnie Walker could miss this game due to injuries they sustained against Golden State. Ben Simmons, who missed the game against the Warriors due to injury maintenance, will thankfully be back for this one.
Two Mavs players are listed as injured: Dante Exum has a knee ailment, while Dereck Lively II has a broken nose.
