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The Nets spend night one in Los Angeles vs Clippers

By Brian Fleurantin
Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Hey, a winning streak! The Brooklyn Nets managed to win two straight games for the first time since early December with a 98-96 victory over the Utah Jazz on Saturday night. It's been almost a year since Brooklyn won three games in a row. This is the first night of a back-to-back. They're not going anywhere as they'll be back in Staples Center on Tuesday, only this time they'll be playing the Lakers.

The first opponent on this LA double play will be the Clippers. Los Angeles has been having a quality season and figure to be a tough out come playoff time. Their last game was on Friday night when they beat the Kings in Sacramento 117-107. The schedule gets tighter for LA after this. They host the Thunder on Wednesday, Atlanta on Saturday, travel to Dallas on March 7, Oklahoma City on March 9, and finally home to play the Cavs on March 13.

Where to follow the game

YES Network on TV, WFAN 101.9 FM on radio. Tip off after 10:30.

Injuries

Nothing new for the Nets.

Paul Pierce did not play on Friday due to personal reasons. His status for tonight is unknown. Blake Griffin is still out recovering from his torn quadriceps and broken hand from punching a team equipment manager. Austin Rivers is still out with a broken hand but his return is seen as "imminent.".

The game

What's going on

2015-2016

Brooklyn

 Los Angeles

Record

 17-42 38-20

Pace

 96.96 98.38

Offensive Efficiency

 99.8 106.4

Defensive Efficiency

 106.3 100.5

Turnover Rate

 15.5 13.3

Assist Rate

 16.8 17.3

Offensive Rebounding Rate

 23.7 21

Rebound Rate

 49.6 48.1

Free Throw Rate

 23.7 32.5

Effective Field Goal Percentage

 48.9 52

Opponent's Effective Field Goal Percentage

 52.3 48.1

The Clips won the first game in December.

New General Manager has managed to stay busy since he came to Brooklyn. The Nets signed Sean Kilpatrick to a ten day contract. He was the top scorer in the Developmental League and hopes to make a name for himself while he's here.

The good thing about being in one city for a few days is that you get to rest up and take in the sights and sounds of where you are. For our friends Dawn and Johnson, they get to kick back, enjoy some nice weather, and take in some good events before hitting the road again.

Los Angeles made one move at the deadline. They acquired Jeff Green from Memphis in exchange for Lance Stephenson and a future draft pick. Green is a former Celtic, and Doc Rivers has shown a penchant for acquiring former C's that played under him. Let Amin Elhassan explain...

The Clippers have managed to play well in Griffin's absence. LA has gone 21-7 since Griffin last played and have outscored teams by 9.6 points per 100 possessions, third best in the league. When Griffin returns, Doc Rivers won't have much time to get him re-acclimated before the playoffs start. The Clips are probably gonna end the season as the four seed, and if all goes as expected, they'll be facing the Warriors in the Conference Semifinals. The Clippers have played them tough in both meetings this season, but came up short each time. It'll be interesting to see how Rivers makes use of Griffin and Green together, particularly when teams decide to downsize.

Brook Lopez will be facing another difficult matchup at the Center position. DeAndre Jordan is the Clippers defensive anchor and is one of the best roll men in the league. He's not someone you run plays, but he still manages to make his presence felt. DJ is second in the NBA in offensive rebounding and tied for third in double doubles. With this being the first half of a back-to-back and the Lakers centers being subpar, Brook out to see a heavy amount of minutes tonight. Posting up against Jordan may not be the greatest strategy, so it might be wise to use him in more pick and rolls than usual.

And here's an added plot twist. A Nets win would hurt their chances of avoiding a swap of second round picks this June.  If the Clippers don't finish in the NBA's top five, the Nets have to swap second rounders, the difference between taking someone at No. 34 or No. 55.  Right now, it's close with the Clipps holding the sixth best record in the league.

Player to watch: Chris Paul

Chris Paul has been having another fantastic season, but it feels as if we've barely noticed. Paul is fourth in assists per game, sixth in steals, sixth in Player Efficiency Rating, and fifth in Win Shares per 48 minutes. Paul's been doing all of this with Griffin out for the past two months and a suspect roster around him, but it's been completely overshadowed by Stephen Curry and the Warriors' chase for history.

The Nets point guard duo will have their hands full. Paul can break a defense down at any time and has gotten to the rim more often this year as compared to last. Brooklyn has had trouble defending the pick and roll all year, and Paul is third among all players in P&R plays as the ball handler. If the Nets defense isn't rotating properly and communicating, Paul will find the open man and make life hell on the Nets.

From the Vault

The world would be a lot better place if we got another Clippers vs Warriors playoff series.

More reading: Clips Nation

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