Game Previews

Nets stare down Bulls tank

By Brian Fleurantin Apr 7, 2018, 9:55am EDT

Three more to go. The Brooklyn Nets went into Milwaukee on Thursday night to play a Bucks team that's jockeying for playoff position. The Neta made their lives a little harder after they came away with an eight point win.

The opponent tonight will be the Chicago Bulls. They have nothing to play for these days except getting more ping pong balls for the upcoming Draft. And on that note, their loss to the Celtics last night will only help the cause.

Where to follow the game

YES Network on TV. WFAN 101.9 FM on radio. Tip off after 8 PM.

Injuries

DeMarre Carroll is out while Jahlil Okafor and Dante Cunningham are questionable. Jeremy Lin and Isaiah Whitehead are done for the season. Lin left Vancouver Friday headed to New York. Expect him at Monday’s last home game, Fan Appreciation Night.

Zach Lavine and Kris Dunn are out.

The game

The Nets won the first game in February.

D'Angelo Russell has a few more games left to end this year on a good note. It's been a rocky year for DLo, but he did put together a solid outing on Thursday night. Any positive development DLo shows should excite Nets fans going into next season.

We'll be seeing an old friend of ours. Sean Kilpatrick signed with the Bulls recently and has been coming off the bench for them. He has a three year deal, with team options after this year and next year. This will be his fourth appearance vs. the Nets since being waived following the December trade that brought Jahlil Okafor, Nik Stauskas and the Knicks 2019 second rounder to Brooklyn. He’s already played for the Bucks on January 26 and February 4 as well as the Clippers on March 4. He’s scored a total of seven points in 22 minutes.

Good for him and since I'm in favor of G-Leaguers getting paid ... Get your money, man.

Player to watch: Lauri Markannen

Chicago has some quality young players, and Lauri is at the top of the list. He's been averaging 15 points and close to eight rebounds a night while putting up a respectable .436/.360/.849 triple slash. Markannen can build on this season and if (think of that "if" as if it was in 72 font) Bulls management can put together a quality draft, they might back in the playoffs sooner than we anticipated.

With Carroll out again, Joe Harris will get the start at the small forward spot. Of all the things that have happened this year, Harris' development has been one of the bright spots. His 3-point shooting has been outstanding and his defense has been quality all things considered. He's going to be a free agent this summer and is in line to get a well deserved pay raise. That's good to see.

From the Vault

In Shea Serrano's book, "Basketball and other Things," he has a chapter about which year was Michael Jordan the best version of himself. While my answer for that would probably be either 1989 or 1992, my favorite is 1998, aka The Last Dance season. So with that in mind, let's have this dance.

Nets stare down Bulls tank

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