Live Game Thread: Brooklyn Nets vs. Portland Trail Blazers, 9:00 PM EST

The Brooklyn Nets are locked in at the No. 7 spot in the Eastern Conference playoff race. However, and this is a pretty big one, they still have something to play for.

On Thursday night, the final play-in Bubble game, the Nets will face a Portland Trail Blazers team that absolutely needs a win to make the playoffs out West.

Ooh, fun.

The Nets are intending on being at full-strength, with a chance to play spoiler. This should be a fun one.

WHO: Brooklyn Nets (35-36) vs. Portland Trail Blazers (34-39)

WHERE: YES (local), TNT (national), WFAN (radio)

WHEN: 9:00 PM EST

For more on the Blazers, check out: Blazers Edge.

Game Preview.

When Nets fans last saw Jusuf Nurkic in a game, he suffered a leg injury that kept him out of action for a year. He’s back healthy and gives Terry Stotts a coach-able scoring option in the post and an excellent passing big man that always finds his teammates in the right spots. He’ll pose a tough challenge for Jarett Allen as he’s out there tonight. Allen has been rock solid on the inside

The Blazers’ defense has been terrible in the bubble, which bodes well for Joe Harris and Brooklyn’s three point shooters. The Blazers are allowing teams to shoot 43.5 percent from deep and allowing 119.4 points per 100 possessions, both second worse in the league. Joe Harris, Tyler Johnson, and the other Nets are in line for huge games if the Blazers defense continues to struggle.