It's good to be home. The Brooklyn Nets went on a five -game road trip and after a win in Phoenix on Saturday, things went south. They lost the last three games, including Friday night's contest in Oklahoma City.
Coming in to town for this matinee affair will be the Portland Trailblazers. After a surprise 2015-2016 season that saw them give the Warriors a competitive series in the Western Conference Semifinals, Portland has gotten off to a bit of a slow start. They've lost their last three games, including Friday's game in New Orleans. They've got two more games (a back-to-back vs the Knicks and Cavs) to go on their road trip before going home.
Where to follow the game
YES Network on TV and WCBS 880 AM on radio. It's a day game so tip off is after 3:30.
Injuries
No update on Jeremy Lin as of this writing. Same with Caris LeVert.
Festus Ezeli has been dealing with a knee injury and is not with the team on this trip. Al Farouq Aminu has been bothered by a calf injury and he won’t play either.
The game
Quick note: Our friends at Blazers Edge are looking to send at least 2000 kids to a Blazers game free of charge in March. Check this out for more information.
Evan Turner was one of Portland's big acquisitions over the summer, and it hasn't worked out so far. Turner is shooting a career low 35.2 percent from the field, getting to the line at a lower rate, and taking three’s at an increased rate even though that's an area he has struggled at since he's been in the league.
The Blazers approach to playing Brook Lopez will be something to keep an eye on. They have our old friend Mason Plumlee starting and behind him, they’re trying to figure out how to best utilize Meyers Leonard and Noah Vonleh. As for Lopez, the Nets sometimes forget to keep him involved, and that has to change immediately. The best thing they can do is ride the Big man and let him carry you to success.
And of course, there’s Allen Crabbe, the 6’6" shooting guard who Sean Marks made a very rich man this summer. The Nets recruited Crabbe, tendered him a $70 million offer sheet as a restricted free agent. The Trail Blazers decided to match. He’s playing nearly 30 minutes per game coming off the bench, but none of his other numbers are as good as last year’s.
Player to watch: Damian Lillard
Quick music break:
And we're back. It’s been a fantastic year for Lillard. His debut album "The Letter O" was well received by fans + critics alike and spent some time near the top of the charts when it first dropped. And on the court, he's gotten off to a fantastic start. Dame is averaging a career high 28.2 points a game, but that doesn't tell the whole story. He's taking way more shots than usual near the rim and for a player who's already a good three point shooter, being able to successfully drive to the rim at will makes him almost impossible to defend.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson is in for a busy afternoon. He wasn't able to slow Russell Westbrook down and Dame's great three point shooting presents a major problem.
From the Vault
I was at Afropunk in 2014, and Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings had the best performance of the weekend. Rest in peace to Sharon.
More reading: Blazersedge
- Brooklyn Nets Game Notes - Brooklyn Nets
- Portland Trailblazers Game Notes - Portland Trailblazers
- Portland Trailblazers vs. Brooklyn Nets - Yahoo! Sports
- Struggling Nets return home to face Lillard, Trail Blazers - STATS LLC
- Nets’ defense has a dropoff on road - Greg Logan - Newsday
- The bad defensive habits the reeling Nets are looking to break - Brian Lewis - New York Post
- Brooklyn Nets vs. Portland Trailblazers 11/20/16 Preview - Matthew Pisani - Brook-Lin
- G13 Brooklyn Nets (4-8) Needs Jeremy Lin against Portland Blazers (7-7) – Jeremy Lin Portal
- Portland Trail Blazers lose 3rd game in a row, but are 'not in panic mode' - Joe Freeman - Oregonian