NBA Preseason Live: Brooklyn Nets vs. Milwaukee Bucks, 7:30 PM EST

Basketball is back in Brooklyn, finally. Kevin Durant will make his preseason debut against the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday night.

Not in the lineup: Kyrie Irving.

He has been cleared to practice, but not play at any home games due to his anti-vaxx stance. Great, he can practice. Not great, he can’t play in meaningful games...yet.

We’re all excited to see Durant play, not excited to have Irving out indefinitely, but, a sliver lining (if there was one) is that we get to see more of Cam Thomas this preseason as a result-ish of Kyrie not suiting up.

From our guy Brian:

Player to watch: Cam Thomas

Well alright. The Nets first round pick got off to a groovy start on Sunday as he scored 21 points in 22 minutes on a .500/.333/.857 split. The young boy has been soaking up game from the big three since the start of camp and is someone that will be key to Brooklyn’s present and future. Any time you have a player that can heat up in a hurry, he provides immense value as he’s guaranteed to pull you out of the doldrums if you’re in a slump.

Grayson Allen is one of the new guys in town for the Bucks. Everyone hates him thanks to his time at Duke, but he’s been a solid rotation player in his three pro seasons. For a team like the Bucks, having another scrappy, plus three point shooter will help with spacing and pose trouble for squads like the Nets and Lakers.

The Bucks are expected to have Giannis play for a few minutes; look, it’s still preseason, the Nets are humming along (sans Kyrie) and all that matters is that this team without Kyrie Irving in the lineup is still a threat to beat anyone.

WHO: Brooklyn Nets vs. Milwaukee Bucks

WHERE: YES Network (tv), Barclays Center (live)

WHEN: 7:30 PM EST

For more on the Bucks, check out Brew Hoop.