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| Sidelined with food poisoning/stomach flu that he was recently stricken with, Marcus Thornton won't be able to make his Nets debut tonight against the Warriors |
When: 10:30 PM EST; Saturday, February 22nd, 2014
Where: Oracle Arena; Oakland, CA
TV: YES Network
The Nets, on the 2nd game of their circus road trip, are in Oakland against the Golden State Warriors, a team that has won three of four. Brooklyn, in these teams' meeting in January, snapped the Warriors' 10-game winning streak as part of the Nets' successful month. So the Nets, tonight, can possibly sweep a season series from one of the West's best teams.
Golden State, like Brooklyn, will be a little shorthanded as David Lee (shoulder) and Andrew Bogut (shoulder)–the Warriors' starting power forward and center–are both out for tonight, and may miss some more time as well. Off the bat, that's great news for the size-challenged Nets, who have struggled throughout this season when tasked with defending big centers (see the Bulls, Pistons, Pacers, Timberwolves, etc).
Meanwhile, in addition to not having Brook Lopez (foot surgery), newcomer Marcus Thornton (food poisoning/stomach flu) is out for the Nets, meaning Brooklyn will be down two guys, basically (roster spot from Thornton trade is open and Thornton being injured). That certainly won't help depth.
Probable Lineups
BKN- Deron Williams (PG), Shaun Livingston (SG), Joe Johnson (SF), Paul Pierce (PF), Kevin Garnett (C)
GSW- Stephen Curry (PG), Klay Thompson (SG), Andre Iguodala (SF), Draymond Green (PF), Jermaine O'Neal (C)
Final Thoughts
The Warriors are a strong shooting team, first and foremost, and without their important bigs down low, they'll take a lot of threes. If the Nets can effectively contest those threes, they'll have a shot to steal a win.
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