Am I a mad man for saying that I am actually happy with the way the season is going? I could be. But hear me out.
While the Nets are 1-2, they haven’t embarrassed themselves. (The second half of the Magic may have been dreary, but not embarrassing.) And the players are putting out good effort, a good brand of basketball. Through each contest, Dennis Schroeder has lit it up, shooting 55% from beyond the arc, Cam Thomas is doing Cam Thomas things, and Jalen Wilson and Noah Clowney are continuing to get meaningful minutes. They gave Jordi Fernandez bis first NBA victory in the home opener vs.the Buck. With all this, you have to be satisfied.
In game four, the Nets will be taking on the Denver Nuggets, also 1-2, as New York City will hopefully have something to distract themselves from the dreadful Yankees (0-3).
Where to Watch
Catch the action on the YES Network at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Injuries
Day’Ron Sharpe, Bojan Bogdanovic, and Trenton Watford will be out once again. Since it’s the first night of a back-to-back — Wednesday, the Nets are in Memphis — Ben Simmons is out for back injury management. (Will this be a continuing thing?) Dariq Whitehead was sent Long Island which opens its training camp Tuesday at HSS.
Daron Holmes II will be out for the Nuggets.
The Game
I strongly believe my contentment will continue in this upcoming game, as the Nuggets may look worse than the Nets right now. They snuck in a late game 127-125 victory against the lowly Raptors in Toronto Monday night, their first win. It took another all-world performance from Nikola Jokic to even keep things close. Jokić totaled 40 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists. While some thought the addition of Russell Westbrook could benefit the Nuggets, it’s become the reverse. The one-time king of triple double, now 35, is averaging 5.7, 3.3 and 3.3 on 20% shooting.
With his lack of shooting, the Nuggets are bleeding without their former veteran core of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Reggie Jackson, Jeff Green, etc. all gone. It doesn’t help when your star guard Jamal Murray isn’t playing the best either.
Bottom line: When you have a team which has nothing to lose vs. a team who can’t figure it out, you are going to choose the team who has nothing to lose, which is Brooklyn.
Players To Watch
Of course on Denver’s side, the reigning and three-time MVP is someone everybody has to worry about, especially a frustrated one.
After scoring 40 points and grabbing 14 rebounds in Toronto Monday night, Jokic became the first player to record 97 points, 31 rebounds, 21 assists and 9 steals/blocks in a three game span (shoutout Jake Coyne on Twitter for the stats.) It was also the first time he scored back to back 40 point games in his career.
With a ferocious start like this, a tactical defensive stand will have to happen to neutralize the Nuggets. Defending Jokic is tricky, because with the many ways he can score, he is one the better passers out of the post we have ever seen.
Which perfectly segways to our other key player, Clax.
Nic Claxton will have to be great defensively, he has to stay disciplined, move his feet, and not foul Jokic, who is oh so smart in his ability to draw contact.
Offensively, I expect Claxton to get his points. His athleticism clearly outmatches Jokic but the big Serbian is indeed big. Whether it is through lobs, putbacks, or pick and roll situations, will Clax reach double double status tonight? And will we see Jordi Fernandez pair Claxton with Noah Clowney and Ziaire Williams. He did the other night and to good effect.
“It’s great because Noah was committed to shoot the 3. Ziaire will let it fly. And if you look at those three guys it’s like a lot of length, size,” Fernandez said post-game. “We’ve been talking about how small we’ve been, but right now, you see those three guys on the court and you’re like, wow, there’s no room. They’re flying around. Their effort has been amazing.”
From the Vault
Back to the Yankees. No team has ever come back from an 0-3 deficit in the World Series to win it and that’s where the Yankees sit, looking very much the inferior team in the fall classic. But there was a case, 20 years ago, when a team came back from 0-3 in the post-season and won. The 2004 Boston Red Sox were down 3-0 to the Yankees, then won four straight. In case you forgot, here’s that final moment.,,
The Sox went on to sweep the Cardinals and win it all. (“Fever Pitch,” the 2005 romantic comedy that used Boston’s curse as a narrative, had to change the film’s original ending which had the Red Sox losing it all again!)
Yankee fans may find it hard to take any joy in watching this, but maybe they can take some hope. Go pinstripes!
- Brooklyn Nets Game Notes - Brooklyn Nets
- Denver Nuggets Game Notes - Denver Nuggets
- Nets turn to Cam Thomas, Dennis Schroder as they host Nuggets - Larry Fleisher - NBA
- Dennis Schroder knows his Nets future is uncertain - Bridget Reilly - New York Post
- Nets’ big lineup could be a key in rebuilding season - Bridget Reilly - New York Post
- Dennis Schroder stands up for Nets on and off court ($) - Evan Barnes - Newsday
- Ben Simmons still hasn’t rediscovered his aggression ($) - C.J. Holmes - New York Daily News
- Why Nets could bench Ben Simmons after return from rest night - Erik Slater - Clutch Points