Nets host the Jazz in Brooklyn

By Brian Fleurantin Nov 17, 2017, 8:46am EST

Nah. The Nets played host to the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night as they hoped to end Boston’s 12 game winning streak. They failed to get the job done and the C’s came away with a seven point win. It won’t get any easier for Brooklyn after this. Who’s up next? The Golden State Warriors. Eek.

The opponent tonight will be the Utah Jazz. Injuries and change have ransacked the Jazz and have them fighting to figure out their identity going forward. They last played on Wednesday, when they lost to the Knicks in MSG. This is the first leg of a back-to-back for the Jazz. They’re in Orlando to face the Magic tomorrow night.

Where to follow the game

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

Injuries

No D’Angelo Russell tonight as he deals with a knee injury.

Ricky Rubio is dealing with an Achilles issue and is questionable. Rudy Gobert is out due to a knee injury. And former Net Joe Johnson (wrist) has another two weeks before he rejoins the team.

The game

Utah won the first meeting last week.

Assuming Rubio is out, rookie Donovan Mitchell will see a jump in minutes. The rookie is averaging an impressive 14.9 points a night, but is shooting a not so impressive 38.8 percent from the field. He's most effective when he's driving to the basket, and that'll present some trouble for Brooklyn.

No Gobert means our guy Derrick Favors will man the middle for Utah. He's been able to expand his range since his brief stay in New Jersey way back in 2010, and Utah will have to figure out what to do when he hits free agency this summer. In the meantime, the Nets big man trio will look to keep Favors off the glass. Having Jarrett Allen back will do wonders for the Nets and the further away he gets away from the knee injury, the more effective he'll be.

On the Nets side of the paint, Kenny Atkinson admits he’s not sure what he’s going to do at center. It appears that Timofey Mozgov, the $48 million man, has lost his starting job.

Atkinson was noncommittal in talking to beat writers Thursday about who will start against the Jazz or the the Warriors on Sunday.

“That’s how it’s going to be going forward,” Atkinson said. “We’re still trying to figure out the whole big situation and how we can be the most efficient. We’re still starting to discover who those guys are. That’s a work in progress. Even [Friday], I haven’t made a decision how we’ll go — [the Jazz] go small a lot — figuring where Timmy fits and Tyler [Zeller], your centers and how to play them.”

You can expect that Jarrett Allen, now that he’s back from foot injury, will see more action.

Player to watch: Rodney Hood

It appears that seeing the Nets fixed Hood's problems. In his last three games, he's shot over 40 percent from the field in each game and has made 14 out of his last 26 three pointers.

Caris Levert will be the man to watch for Brooklyn. His shooting percentages haven't been where you'd like, but he brings a lot to the table. He'll have more ball handling responsibility with Russell out and every bit of growth he shows will make this season a success.

From the Vault

In Basketball and Other Things, Shea Serrano asks a really important question: “If 1997 Karl Malone and a bear swapped places for a season, who would be more successful?” We know what bears can do. Let’s see what The Mailman brings to the table

Nets host the Jazz in Brooklyn

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