The days all blend in to each other. The Brooklyn Nets continued their western road trip with a visit to Oregon to face the Portland Trailblazers. The Nets didn’t have much of anything for the play-in bound Blazers and lost by 35 points. The team’s current losing streak is at eight. And if you’re keeping track at home, that was the team’s seventh loss by at least 30 points this season.
Tonight’s opponent is firmly locked in to the tenth seed and the final play-in position. The Golden State Warriors are making through the end of a frustrating and disappointing season as they look ahead to the future. They beat the Dallas Mavericks in overtime on Monday night, but that was the last thing on anyone’s minds following the game. More on that shortly.
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- Noah Clowney
- Michael Porter Jr
- Day’ron Sharpe
- Nolan Traore
- Egor Demin
- Danny Wolf
As expected, Malachi Smith has been extended another 10 days.
In overtime, Moses Moody went up for a layup and suffered a horrifying leg injury. Moses was diagnosed with a torn patellar tendon and will be out for indefinitely. All the best to him on his road to recovery.
The following are also out:
- Jimmy Butler
- Seth Curry
- Steph Curry
- Al Horford
- Quinten Post
Dealing with a busted bracket?
The Sweet 16 is almost here – who’s still alive? We’re reviewing the week that was in the first week of the NCAA tournament and turning our focus to remaining teams. How bad (or good!) is your bracket? Join us in the SB Nation March Madness Feed and let’s talk about who’s most likely to make a run to glory.
Golden State won the first meeting in December.
One game away from the top of the standings Nets fans care about. The journey continues.
Ben Saraf, this is your moment. With Traore out, Ben will get the start and get all the minutes he can handle at the one. This matchup in particular will be a great challenge for his decision making skills as the Warriors are fifth in the NBA in opponent’s turnover rate this season. Ben has had turnover trouble for much of the season and tonight will be a great opportunity for him to work on it.
What do you do without Stephen Curry? For the Warriors, it’s relying on a whole lot of Brandin Podziemski. It’s been a learning lesson for him, and when Curry does return, we’ll see how Podz gets reacclimated to a familiar role. In the meantime, he’s got to navigate this rocky road.
“So in my mind right now, where he is: if he’s playing off of Steph, off of the ball, if he’s playing more of a secondary ball-handler role, he’s really good,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said. “He does a lot of things that a lot of players don’t do. He’s got a knack. When he tries to be too on-ball, you see him get into some trouble. You see the warts.”
No time better than the present to figure this stuff out.
👀 Player to watch: Kristaps Porzingis
KP came over from the Atlanta Hawks at the trade deadline, and it’s been a rocky start to his new adventure. Porzingis missed time due to illness and it led to more questions about the Warriors’ future. When this group is healthy, they have the potential to be championship contenders. However, they’re not healthy, they’re older, and the clock is getting closer and closer to midnight. It’s a lot to navigate for this proud franchise and the hope is Porzingis can remain healthy long enough so this group can make one more attempt to reach the top of the mountain.
Nic Claxton will be the vet tasked with keeping the young Nets within range tonight. It’s been difficult, but that’s why you play the games. For Clax, he’ll look to see if his guards can find him some good looks near the basket tonight. The Warriors allow teams to shoot 68.9 percent inside the restricted area, seventh highest mark in the NBA this year. Against a shorthanded frontcourt, tonight could be the night for Nic Claxton to have a big scoring game.
What you about to witness is my thoughts
Right or wrong
Just what I was feelin’ at the time
Also, we are one day away from the best baseball team returning to our lives. HIT THE MUSIC!
- Brooklyn Nets Game Notes – Brooklyn Nets
- Golden State Warriors Game Notes – Golden State Warriors