Watch Live: Brooklyn Nets vs. Sacramento Kings, 7:30 PM EST on YES Network

The Brooklyn Nets return home on Thursday night after what started off to be a really solid road trip before losing to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night.

Now, they are tasked with a tough 4-game stretch against eventual playoff teams; one of which is the Sacramento Kings, the 2nd place team out West.

The Kings are coming off a thriller of a win on Wednesday night over the Bulls. So the “good news” for the Nets is that they get the night two Kings. But, man, the Kings are a really good team so not sure it matters much if they get a tired or wired Sacramento team.

Brooklyn after the loss on Tuesday has fallen to 6th place in the East, still holding on and avoiding the play-in round for now.

WHO: Brooklyn Nets (39-30) vs. Sacramento Kings (41-27)

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. est

WHERE: YES Network (tv, app), WFAN-FM (radio)

Game preview.

Feels safe to say that Sabonis is a bet to make All-NBA during awards season. The big fella has had the best season of his career and is averaging 19 points a night on .610/.370/.763 shooting splits. Not to be outdone, he leads the league in rebounding at over 12 a night and is averaging around seven assists per game as well. Having a big that can initiate the offense at a high level is a blessing, makes life easy for their teammates, and opens up a world of possibilities on offense.

Nic Claxton will look to hold the boards down for Brooklyn. With Nerlens Noel reportedly not on the roster anymore, Clax is the last traditional big man left on the team. Like most of the Nets, he had a rough day at the office in the first meeting way back in November. Brooklyn will need to be a lot better on defense, and that starts with protecting the rim. Sacramento is third in efficiency inside the restricted area as they’ve made 70.2 percent of their shots inside that region. Keeping them on the perimeter and forcing them into a rough shooting night is the key for Brooklyn tonight. They’re going to need a big night from their lone big man, and it’ll take a total team effort to keep the Nets in the playoff chase.

More reading: Sactown Royalty and The Kings Herald.