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Nets and Thunder play in snowy NYC

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By Brian Fleurantin
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Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Everything's the same. The Nets played the Utah Jazz at home on Friday night and got blown out by 22 points. It was their fifth straight loss and the third time they've lost by 20+ over the past week and a half. The schedule doesn't get any easier after this, so things might get even uglier around here.

Making the trip into snowy NYC will be the Oklahoma City Thunder. They've done well under new head coach Billy Donovan and find themselves in third place in the Western Conference. They've won seven straight games, including Friday's contest in Dallas. They're staying in town after this game as they play the Knicks in MSG on Tuesday before wrapping up their four game trip in Minneapolis on Wednesday night.

The game was re-scheduled early Sunday. The game is now set to start at 7:30 p.m.

Where to follow the game

YES Network on TV, WCBS 880 AM (the AFC and NFC Championship games will be on WFAN 101.9 FM today) on radio.

Injuries

Nothing new for the Nets. Jarrett Jack (torn ACL) is out for the season and both Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (ankle fracture) and Chris McCullough (ACL recovery) are likely three weeks away from returning.

Steven Adams missed Friday's game due to a right elbow strain and he will miss this one as well.

The game

Check it out

2015-2016

Brooklyn

 Oklahoma City

Record

 11-33 33-12

Pace

 96.8 98.87

Offensive Efficiency

 97.8 109.3

Defensive Efficiency

 106 100.3

Turnover Rate

 15.5 15.6

Assist Rate

 16.5 16.5

Offensive Rebounding Rate

 24.1 30.2

Rebound Rate

 49.8 53.9

Free Throw Rate

 22.5 29.6

Effective Field Goal Percentage

 47.7 52

Opponent's Effective Field Goal Percentage

 52.3 47.6

The Thunder won the first matchup in November.

Considering all the snow that's blanketed the East Coast since Thursday, there's a chance this game won't get played. Around this time last year, a snowstorm socked NYC and Nets-Blazers was postponed and later rescheduled.

It seems as if he's only in the headlines for sniping at media these days, but Kevin Durant is all the way back from the injuries that ruined his 2014-2015 season. KD was selected by the fans to start for the All Star team and it was a well deserved nomination. Durant is third in the league in scoring, averaging 27.6 points on 50.9 percent shooting. He had a 50/40/90 season in 2012-2013 and has a good chance of doing it again.. He was pestered by Rondae Hollis-Jefferson the first meeting, and thanks to RHJ's injury, he won't be available today. That means Durant will probably be guarded by either Joe Johnson or Wayne Ellington. There's a great possibility KD will outdo his 30 point performance from the first BK v OKC meeting. Of course, we can't forget that he'll be a free agent this summer and the Nets hope to convince him to join Brooklyn.

Not to be undone, Russell Westbrook has been sensational as well. Russ is seventh in the NBA in scoring at 23.9 a game, second in assists at 9.6, and is tied for second in triple doubles at five. Russ is constantly attacking the basket and presents a variety of trouble for defenders. Donald Sloan will continue to start

Player to watch: Enes Kanter

There was some drama surrounding his acquisition from Utah. Kanter had gotten fed up and looked to force his way out. The Thunder were on the verge of trading Reggie Jackson to Brooklyn for Brook Lopez, but that deal fell through at the last minute. Instead, OKC sent Jackson to Detroit and got Kanter from the Jazz. He had a good half season with them and rejoined the team in the summer after OKC matched Portland's four year, $70 million contract offer sheet.

On the court, Kanter is a great bench piece for Donovan's club. He's fourth on the team in scoring, averaging 11.7 points on 56.7 percent from the field in 20 minutes a night.  He's also second on the team in rebounding, picking up almost eight a night when he's on the court. Over at CBS Sports, Matt Moore made this observation on how Kanter and OKC can counteract the Golden State Warriors:

Kanter's dominant in offensive rebounding. And dominant is really the word. Kanter's averaging seven offensive rebounds per 100 possessions this season. So he's able to counter smaller lineups like Golden State uses by simply pounding the glass. The concern there is that you have to have guys who can rim run. Guess what? Kanter can.

Brook Lopez should be well rested for this one. After committing three turnovers in the early part of the third quarter, he was sent to the bench. He never returned to the game as things got out of hand and the contest was too far out of reach. When Kanter is in the game, the Nets should target him frequently. He's a pretty poor defender overall and is allowing almost a point a possession when defending the low post. Lopez needs a bounce back game and should be heavily featured here.

From the Vault

New York was hit with close to two feet of snow, and it brought back memories of the 1996 blizzard.

More reading: Welcome to Loud City

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