When: 6:00 PM EST; Wednesday, April 22nd, 2015
Where: Phillips Arena; Atlanta, GA
TV: NBATV/My9
After a tough 99-92 loss in Game 1 to the Hawks, the Brooklyn Nets are down 1-0 in their opening round series and really could use a win, and subsequent homecourt advantage, in Game 2 tonight in Atlanta.
The Hawks, the Eastern Conference’s No. 1 seed, led Sunday’s contest mostly coast-to-coast and was up by double digits for a significant portion of it, but the Nets continued to fight back. Brooklyn was down just five points with 15 seconds left, but a Deron Williams missed three-pointer sealed the Nets’ fate and made tonight’s game a near must-win.
Good news for Lionel Hollins’ team is that sharpshooter Mirza Teletovic–who has been out since January with a blood clot in his lung–is probable for the game. Granted, he’s not expected to be in midseason form after sitting out for so long, but he could–and should–be a big boost for the Nets in terms of stretching out Atlanta’s defense. The Nets went just 5-for-20 on threes in Game 1, mostly thanks to Joe Johnson and Bojan Bogdanovic combined to miss 10 of their collective 11 three-point attempts, so it can’t hurt to add another proven sniper to the mix.
In other injury news, Al Horford–who dislocated his pinky finger on Sunday–will play for the Hawks, even though his status was questionable for awhile. His finger will be taped so it’s possible his shot gets affected, which could potentially let Brook Lopez stay in the paint on defense as opposed to having to step out to the perimeter to defend Horford.
Also, Paul Millsap–who has been battling a shoulder injury for awhile–played poorly in Game 1 (2-of-11 shooting) and could be negatively affected by his ailment, which has clearly taken a toll on his scoring ability. If both Atlanta frontcourt starters are at significantly less than 100 percent, there’s no reason Lopez with his size and Thaddeus Young with his athleticism shouldn’t take over for 30-40 minutes. Today, the Nets should run their offense through their big, interior guys and then can work out to the perimeter off the play of the forwards and centers.
Probable Lineups
BKN- Deron Williams (PG), Markel Brown (SG), Joe Johnson (SF), Thaddeus Young (PF), Brook Lopez (C)
ATL- Jeff Teague (PG), Kyle Korver (SG), DeMarre Carroll (SF), Paul Millsap (PF), Al Horford (C)
Final Thoughts
With Mirza and Alan Anderson (ankle) coming back from their injuries, the Nets are basically at full-strength while Atlanta is clearly hurting. This is a great opportunity for Brooklyn to steal a win, especially if they can stick with the Hawks’ three-point shooters–note: do not give Kyle Korver any free space from beyond the arc–and possibly knock down a few triples of their own.
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