When: November 29, 2015; 6:00 PM EST
Where: Barclays Center; Brooklyn, NY
TV: YES Network
Radio: WCBS 880 AM
The underlying theme of the Brooklyn Nets’s 3-13 start to the 2015-16 regular season has been the team’s inability to hold early leads and their struggles in crunch time, which have often led to disappointing losses in games Brooklyn actually played well in. This was certainly the case last night in Cleveland, as the Nets lost a 90-88 heartbreaker to the Cavaliers on a LeBron James hook/floater with just one second left in the game.
Brooklyn blew a second quarter 39-27 lead and was also up 83-76 with less than five minutes to play after a huge Joe Johnson three-pointer. But, the Cavaliers responded with eight unanswered points to take the lead back. The Nets had multiple chances to build a late lead and/or come back down the stretch, but were foiled by a Johnson jumper that went in-and-out as well as various bad officiating calls that were in Cleveland’s favor. It was another mostly good performance from the Nets but one that ended in failure, and a 13th loss.
In their last game, the Pistons — who have lost three of their last four — fell 103-87 on the road to the team that beat the Nets on Wednesday: the Oklahoma City Thunder. It was a homecoming for Detroit’s Reggie Jackson, who was traded by Oklahoma City to the Pistons at last season’s trade deadline. Jackson, whose departure from the Thunder was pretty unceremonious, made just four of his 16 shots as his Detroit team held a seven-point lead at the half but was outscored 55-32 over the final two quarters.
Andre Drummond — who is averaging 17.9 points and 17.1 rebounds this season — was held to just 15 and seven on Friday night and should provide a tough matchup down low for Brook Lopez tonight at Barclays. The fourth-year pro has exploded statistically in the beginning of this season, and has entrenched himself as a top-five center in the entire league.
Probable lineups
DET- Reggie Jackson (PG), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (SG), Marcus Morris (SF), Ersan Ilyasova (PF), Andre Drummond (C)
BKN- Jarrett Jack (PG), Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (SG), Joe Johnson (SF), Thaddeus Young (PF), Brook Lopez (C)
Final thoughts
The Pistons are a young, athletic team that needs to be hitting three-pointers in order to win. Their speed will present issues for the Nets, as will their ability to stretch the floor, but if Brooklyn can defend the perimeter well — and contain Drummond, somewhat, maybe get him in foul trouble — this can be a winnable game. Also, limiting Reggie Jackson’s paint penetration will be huge.
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