NBA Live Thread: Brooklyn Nets vs. Philadelphia 76ers, 7:00 PM EST

For the Brooklyn Nets, it’s good to be home. After playing with the bare-minimum number of active players in part because of the COVID protocols, the Nets are back in Brooklyn and finally getting healthy.

On Thursday night they’ll get going against the Philadelphia 76ers, who like every other team in the league is missing some key players; including head coach Doc Rivers (COVID protocol).

Brooklyn gets pretty much all of their team back, including Kevin Durant who was out due to COVID.

It’s nice to not have to rely solely on James Harden.

WHO: Brooklyn Nets (23-9) vs. Philadelphia 76ers (18-16)

WHEN: 7:00pm EST

WHERE: NBA TV (national), YES (local tv), WFAN-FM (radio)

Game Preview.

Last time we saw Kevin Durant, he torched Philly to the tune of 34/10/8. Now that he’s back, we’ll see how Steve Nash and the coaching staff manage his minutes. The time off probably did wonders for his sore ankle and now that the roster is starting to get healthier, the Nets will become even more difficult to handle. Matisse Thybulle figures to get the KD assignment, but that assignment is mission impossible for everybody that has to match up with Durant. The roster (well, the home one at least) is close to being back at full strength so the Nets can ease Durant back into the swing of things.

When the Nets last saw the 76ers, Seth Curry was the second best player for Philly. He scored 29 points and was the secondary scoring option as Tobias Harris struggled on both sides of the ball. Curry and Patty Mills will be in a mini three point shootout as they are both integral to the space of their teams’ offense.

Surprisingly, the 76ers have been awful on the boards. They are 29th in rebound rate , which is due thanks in large part to their lack of success on the offensive boards. Having Andre Drummond back ought to help on that front, although as he’s just back from his on stay in protocol land, may not be out there for too long.

For more on the Sixers, check out Liberty Ballers.