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You want another reason that Tuesday night's game is big for the Nets? How about this: if the Hornets can beat the Knicks in New Orleans earlier in the evening, then the Nets would vault into a virtual tie for the Eastern Conference lead with a win over the Lakers.
As the Nets wake up in their Los Angeles hotel Tuesday, they'll read that they're second in the East, a game behind the Knicks and a half game ahead of the Heat. Yeah, it's early and the Lakers will be a tough challenge at home, but it's still a measure of the team's success so far.
"That’s what we wanted," Avery Johnson said Monday afternoon. "We wanted the big stage and everything that goes with it. I’m glad there’s a lot of hype about the game, whether it’s about two teams, whether even individual matchups ... I like it."
As noted Monday, the game got a little more hype when Dwight Howard said 1) he would knock Brook Lopez in the chest and 2) he doesn't care if Deron Williams no longer loves him. (A lot of people don't, Dwight, deal with it.)
The Nets are healthy again. Gerald Wallace says other than some morning stiffness in his ankle, he's fine. It's hard to recall the last time the Nets had a full complement of healthy players for two straight games. The Lakers are hurting at the point. Steve Nash and Steve Blake are out, leaving Darius Morris the possible starter. The game is on both YES and NBA TV as well as both WFAN and Spanish language WADO. It's a 10:30 p.m. start.
- Nets ready for L.A. spotlight - Tim Bontemps - New York Post
- Nets' Wallace: Ankle feels OK - Tim Bontemps - New York Post
- D’Antoni: There’s no kneed to hurry back - Fred Kerber - New York Post
- Nets, on 5-Win Streak, to Face Recovering Lakers - Howard Beck - New York Times
- D'Antoni set to make debut in Los Angeles against Nets - Stefan Bondy - NY Daily News
- Howard says there's no need to smooth things over with Williams - Stefan Bondy - NY Daily News
- Knicks and Nets giving the city a case of basketball fever - Editorial - NY Daily News
- Mike D'Antoni hopes to make Lakers coaching debut Tuesday night vs. Nets - Newsday
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Brooklyn Nets succeeding without Dwight Howard -- and D12 without Brooklyn Nets - Jon Lane - SB Nation New York
- Dwight and Kobe: The partnership is growing - Dave McMenamin - ESPN LA
- D'Antoni's debut still TBD - Dave McMenamin - ESPN LA
- Darius Morris making the most of his time - Dave McMenamin - ESPN LA
- Gamble pays off for Lakers' Darius Morris - Mike Bresnahan - Los Angeles Times
- Lakers to host Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday - Los Angeles Times
- Lakers handling transition to Mike D'Antoni's system well - Elliot Teaford - Los Angeles Daily News
- Howard: 'No need to talk about what could have happened' with Brooklyn - Elliot Teaford - Los Angeles Daily News
- Howard has no regrets about Brooklyn - Joe McDonnell - FOX Sports West