Live Game Thread: Brooklyn Nets vs. Portland Trail Blazers, 10:00 PM EST

Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant are both out on Tuesday night and James Harden is also banged up - not good going into a tough matchup against a very good Portland Trail Blazers team.

The Blazers are finally healthy, with CJ McCollum back from injury. Even with Harden this is going to be a tough matchup for the Nets, as the Blazers can put up a ton of points.

BUT, before we get there tonight, a quick programming note:

Join us!

WHO: Brooklyn Nets (29-14) at Portland Trail Blazers (25-17)

WHEN: 10:00 PM EST

WHERE: YES Network (tv), WFAN (radio)

Game Preview.

Without Irving and Shamet ... and possibly Harden, Tyler Johnson will get some more playing time. After a rough start to the year, Johnson has settled into a nice groove and has been doing a good job initiating some of the offense and knocking down his three pointers. Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot is back as well and he’ll get some quality minutes. When guys are out, the next person has to step up so this week will be big for both of them.

It’s a shame CJ McCollum got injured because he’s been having the best season of his career and would’ve had a great chance to make the All Star team. He’s averaging a career high 24 points and perhaps most impressively, is shooting a career high 43 percent from deep on ten shots a game. McCollum is an excellent player and someone who can cook at a moment’s notice.

For more on the Blazers, check out Blazers Edge.