If anyone needed proof of how the lockout resulted in odd scheduling, they should consider this: the Nets have eight games left and will play three of them against the 76ers. A few weeks back, prospects of winning might have seemed bleak. Not anymore. The Sixers are in a spiral and the Nets are surging. Of course, even when they were rolling, they lost to the Nets in a game where Deron Williams had 34 points and Kris Humphries 19 reobunds.

Philadelphia has now lost four straight and 18 of their last 28, falling into a two-way tie with the Knicks for the seventh playoff spot, only a game and a half ahead of the Bucks. Their offense is struggling, averaging 83.0 points and 41.8 percent shooting during the four-game skid. Moreover, tensions are rising in the locker room. Doug Collins, once considered a favorite for Coach of the Year, appeared cranky before Sunday's blowout by the Celtics, saying he had to deal with young players who are "sensitive and fragile" and noting how he "had my ass kicked since I was six."

The Nets haven't said a word about Gerald Wallace's condition since he strained his hamstring on a dunk Sunday, but as Avery Johnson has said repeatedly, hamstrings are, along with groin pulls, difficult to assess. Mikhail Prokhorov has a busy day, touring Barclays Center in the morning and attending the game in the evening. No word about whether he will talk privately with players, including one specifically.

• New Jersey Nets Game Notes - New Jersey Nets
• Philadelphia 76ers Game Notes - Philadelphia 76ers
• Getting Inside - New Jersey Nets - Sports Xchange
• Getting Insider - Philadephia 76ers - Sports Xchange
• 76ers-Nets Preview - Noey Kupchan - Stats LLC
• DeShawn Stevenson makes waves - Andy Vasquez - The Record
• Impressed Nets glad Wallace on their side - Tim Bontemps - New York Post
• 76ers in need of a character check - John Mitchell - Philadephia Inquirer
• Collins' words on Celtics lesson for his team - Bob Cooney - Philadelphia Daily News