Game Previews

Nets play host to the Wizards

By Brian Fleurantin Dec 5, 2016, 11:57am EST

NBA: Washington Wizards at Philadelphia 76ers

Nope. After getting blown out in the first meeting, the Nets went to Milwaukee to play the Bucks on the second half of their home and home set. Brooklyn fell behind, fought back, but couldn’t get over the hump and wound up losing 112-103 on Saturday evening.

Coming into Brooklyn will be the Washington Wizards. It’s been a pretty disappointing season for Washington as they find themselves near the bottom of the East, They played hard on Friday, but Kawhi Leonard hit a game winner late to give the Spurs a two point victory. This is the last night of Washington’s three game road trip and the first of a back-to-back. They go home to face the Magic on Tuesday.

Where to follow the game

YES Network on TV. WFAN 101.9 FM on radio. Tip is after 7:30.

Injuries

Jeremy Lin is out. Trevor Booker missed the last game with an illness, but he’s ready to go. Caris Levert had been out rehabbing his foot, but he was cleared yesterday and is available to play and make his NBA debut tonight.

Ian Mahinmi will miss this game due to a knee injury.

The game

The big news surrounding the Nets tonight will actually take place in Houston. The Rockets will be playing the Celtics, but more importantly, they will decide whether they want to match Brooklyn's offer sheet to Donatas Montiejunas. We'll keep you updated as the news progresses.

It's another double header day at Barclays. The Long Island Nets play vs the Sixou Falls Skyforce at 1:35.

With Mahinmi out, the Nets should look to pound the ball inside to Lopez. For most of Saturday's game, Lopez was a non-factor. He wound up making three three pointers, but those were the only shots made as he went 3-17. He's becoming a decent three point shooter, but he operates best close to the basket and the Nets have to strike a perfect balance.

Bradley Beal is Washington's second best player and having the best offensive season of his young career. He's averaging close to 22 points a night and has been taking (and making) more threes, getting to the line more, and has cut down on his turnovers. He needs to improve defensively, but if he keeps it up, he can work around that. When he gets on the court, Rondae Hollis Jefferson will be assigned to him. RHJ played 23 minutes on Saturday and figures to play a bit more tonight as he gets back into the swing of things after being injured.

Who knows what will happen with Montiejunas, but if Booker is out again, Anthony Bennett should get some more run at the power forward position. Bennett grabbed a career high 14 rebounds on Saturday and looked pretty good all things considered. Bennett is a relatively intriguing player and if he puts together a nice stretch of ball coming up, he might move up in the rotation.

Player to watch: John Wall

The Wiz are a mess, but Wall is doing his best to keep them competitive. Although he's averaging close to a double-double a night, he's averaging a career high 4.5 turnovers a game. A lot of that is due to him taking on more responsibilities on offense, but there's still room for improvement.

The rookies will be under the spotlight. Isaiah Whitehead didn't record an assist vs Milwaukee, but he'll still have an opportunity to get a chance to showcase his skills.

From the Vault

“The whole city’s buzzing, wasn’t checking for me a dozen or so, months ago now I’m all they know...”

Nets play host to the Wizards

Share this story

Share All sharing options for: Nets play host to the Wizards