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Nets open February schedule at home vs Pistons

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By Brian Fleurantin
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Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

Welcome to heartbreak. The Brooklyn Nets gave the New Orleans Pelicans a hell of a fight on Saturday night, but Jrue Holiday hit a game winner that sent the Nets to their third straight loss and eighth in the last nine games.

Opening the month of February in Barclays Center with the Nets will be the Detroit Pistons. They've had a nice season and are currently eighth in the Eastern Conference. Their last game was the second half of a back-to-back on Saturday night, and they lost to the Toronto Raptors. They've got one more on the road before returning home to play the Knicks in the early TNT game on Thursday.

Where to follow the game

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

Injuries

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Chris McCullough are getting closer to returning, but no return dates have been set.

Ersan Ilyasova missed Saturday's game due to a left thigh injury and his status for this game is unknown.

The game

Let's go

2015-2016

Brooklyn

 Detroit

Record

 12-36 25-23

Pace

 96.6 97.85

Offensive Efficiency

 98.4 102.4

Defensive Efficiency

 106 101.6

Turnover Rate

 15.3 13.7

Assist Rate

 16.5 14.2

Offensive Rebounding Rate

 24 28.6

Rebound Rate

 49.7 52.2

Free Throw Rate

 23 29.5

Effective Field Goal Percentage

 47.9 48.4

Opponent's Effective Field Goal Percentage

 52 49.7

The Nets won the first game at the end of November and the Pistons took game two in early January. That game is notable because it was Lionel Hollins' last game as Nets head coach.

The Pistons are looking to upgrade the power forward position, and while they're big fans of New Orleans' Ryan Anderson, they'd prefer to wait until the summer to acquire him.

It's easy to see why Reggie Jackson was considered by many to be a player worthy of being named an All Star. He's averaging a career high 19.1 points per game and is sixteenth in the NBA in assists, averaging 6.4 a night. He's a guard that loves to attack the basket, and Stan Van Gundy has had him run the most pick and rolls in the league this year. He gave the Nets fits last game, scoring 23 points, handing out eight assists, and going 6/10 inside of the restricted area. Jackson presents a big problem for Donald Sloan and Shane Larkin.

Joe Johnson has played much better as of late, and tonight he'll be matched up against one of the best perimeter defenders in the league. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has guarded elite players such as Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook, and Damian Lillard and figures to be the Piston assigned to Johnson.

Player to watch: Andre Drummond

Drummond fell just short of being named an All Star starter, but he made the team as a reserve. His selection is a well deserved one and he's the first Piston since Allen Iverson to be in the ASG. Drummond leads the league in rebounding at 15 per game and has also collected 39 double-doubles, also tops in the league. His post game still has room for improvement, but he's been an incredibly productive player that's only getting better.

On the other side will be a former All Star. Brook Lopez was an All Star back in 2013 and has been playing excellently over the past week. Lopez has shot 54 percent over the last four games and has grabbed 10+ rebounds in each game as well. He was the team's best player in January and his great play should carry over into this month. Drummond only played 28 minutes on Saturday so he should be well rested for this game. Brooklyn could slow Dre down by going to the hack strategy, but it's horrible to watch and ruins the flow of the game.

From the Vault

Ben Wallace recently had his jersey retired by the Pistons. Check out the tribute video the team made for Big Ben.

More reading: Detroit Bad Boys

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