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WHO: Brooklyn Nets (35-33) vs. Detroit Pistons (34-31)
WHAT: The Nets and Pistons are battling for the 6th seed in the East; the Nets enter the night on a 2-game win streak, while the Pistons have won each of their last five games and eight of their last 10.
WHERE: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. EST
HOW: YES, FSD; NBA League Pass
THE STORY: Game Preview
If Brooklyn has a little something of a competitive or narrative edge, it’s 1) that Detroit stole the six seed and Brooklyn needs to take it back and 2) We all know Spencer Dinwiddie absolutely loves a revenge game. Detroit took Dinwiddie in the second round of the 2014 draft, traded him and after a couple of years bouncing around unsuccessfully, Spencer landed in Brooklyn with a will to win and a chip on his shoulder. He became the Nets record holder for points off the bench in a single season Saturday, and he’s going to look to ride his recent hot streak to a big game against his former team.
Since the beginning of February, Detroit is third in the league in three pointers made per game, 11th in the league in scoring, and first in the league in plus/minus, they’ve been great. They made a couple of trades, adding Thon Maker and Wayne Ellington while shipping out Reggie Bullock and Stanley Johnson. Otherwise, their roster has largely stayed the same. Reggie Jackson is still very much their starting point guard and he’s very much the same player he’s always been except this season he’s a little hot from three, shooting 37 percent from deep. They just seem to be clicking with each other right now, which actually might be a good thing for the Nets.
For more on the Pistons, check out: Detroit Bad Boys
Technically, the Atlanta Hawks have lost three out of four games. However, Lloyd Pierce’s team lost those games by seven (to the Bulls in 4-OT), one and seven points, respectively, further illustrating that the team is playing competitive and entertaining basketball as the stretch run arrives. On Saturday evening, the Hawks will play host to another team operating in appealing fashion, as Kenny Atkinson and the Brooklyn Nets invade State Farm Arena.
Brooklyn has won two straight as they arrive and, like Atlanta, will be coming off a two-day rest period following a clash on Wednesday. Saturday’s contest marks the third (and final) match-up of the season between the two teams and, to this point, the Nets have the upper hand with a pair of double-digit victories in Brooklyn.