Game Previews

Nets and Hawks begin a home and home set

By Brian Fleurantin Dec 2, 2017, 9:17am EST

Well alright. The Brooklyn Nets went into Dallas on Wednesday night hoping to end their brief three game road trip on a positive note. They were able to get the job done and came away with a gritty five point win over the Mavericks.

The opponent today will be the Atlanta Hawks. It’s been a dreadful year for Mike Budenholzer's squad and barring something incredibly unforeseen, their playoff streak will end at nine. They lost to the Cavaliers on Thursday night.

Where to follow the game

YES Network on TV. WFAN 101.9 FM on radio. Tip off after 3 PM.

And it’s Star Wars Day at Barclays. First 10,000 “jedi” to enter the starship will receive Star Wars-themed T-shirts. Expect other surprises from “a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...."

Injuries

Allen Crabbe and Rondae Hollis Jefferson are probable.

Mike Muscala, Dwyane Dedmon and John Collins are out.

The game

Brooklyn won the first one in October.

We've got a quality matchup at point guard this afternoon. Spencer Dinwiddie continues to hold things down and is fifth in the league in assist to turnover ratio. Despite all of the injuries, the Nets have been right around league average in offensive efficiency thanks in large part to Dinwiddie. On the other side will be Dennis Schroder. Schroder has always been most effective when he's driving to the rim and this year has been no exception. He leads the league in drives per game and is shooting close to 57 percent inside of the restricted area. The job for the Nets will be to close the lanes off and bait him into jumpers. As a team, the Hawks are shooting 38.2 percent from deep, fifth best in the league. How the Nets defend the three point line will determine the outcome of this game.

Player to watch: Kent Bazemore

When the Hawks resigned Bazemore to an extension in 2016, they were expecting the Dapmaster to build off a surprising season and be their small forward of the future. However, things haven't gone as planned. His field goal percentage has dropped each year and any hopes of him being a steady scorer and playmaker have faded away.

Caris Levert will play a big role today. He's picked up 11 assists against only two turnovers in the last two games. The more he gets to run the offense, the better he'll get.

From the Vault

LeBron broke out the Dikembe Mutombo finger wag Wednesday night in Atlanta, so naturally we’re gonna take a trip back in time and see the original at work.

Nets and Hawks begin a home and home set

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