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WHO: Brooklyn Nets (38-36) at Portland Trail Blazers (45-27)
WHAT: The Nets are back in 6th in the East with a big win this weekend over the Lakers; tonight they take on Damian Lillard, who is playing as well as anyone these days, and looking to get to .500 on this 7-game road trip.
WHERE: Moda Center, Portland, OR
WHEN: 10:00 p.m. EST
HOW: YES, NBCSNW; NBA TV; NBA League Pass
THE STORY: Game Preview
The last time we saw the Blazers, Jusuf Nurkic and Enes Kanter destroyed the Nets frontline, combining for 46 points and 21 rebounds. If Enes Kanter could play every game against the Nets he’d be a hall of famer. My guy is averaging 21.2 points and 12 rebounds in 26.5 minutes per game during his four matchups with Brooklyn this season. A backup center should not scare me this much. And to make it worse, the Bosnian Beast starts in front of him. Both are bona fide Net Killers and if they can’t be neutralized there’s a good chance Brooklyn will be going home with an L in this one. I mean, the Nets allowed JaVale McGee to put up 33 and 20 against them, gotta be better than that.
For more on the Blazers check out Blazers Edge:
The Portland Trail Blazers are coming off their third straight win, a nail-biter against the Detroit Pistons. A four-point play by Damian Lillard and a floater by Al-Farouq Aminu in the closing minutes helped the Blazers complete the comeback win. It was their third straight game also without CJ McCollum, who remains out for the game against Brooklyn.
This Nets squad is full of ex-Blazers, but they’re led by All-Star point guard D’Angelo Russell. Russell’s 21 points helped the Nets officially eliminate the Los Angeles Lakers from playoff contention in their last game out. They are currently clinging to the No. 6 seed in the East, a half-game up on the Pistons.