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When: 9:00 PM EST; Sunday, February 23rd, 2014
Where: Staples Center; Los Angeles, CA
TV: YES Network
Under most circumstances, tonight's Nets-Lakers tilt would be a run-of-the-mill Sunday night meeting between one team far outside of the playoff discussion (the Lakers) and one firmly entrenched in it (the Nets). A pair of former Nets–Jordan Farmar and the recently-traded MarShon Brooks–are on the Lakers, which adds another layer of interest to this contest but isn't groundbreaking by any means, even though I happen to irrationally love MarShon's game and thoroughly enjoy watching him play.
However, this game will be much, much more exciting and interesting that it may look on the surface. Why, you might ask? The answer: the Nets signed Jason Collins today, and if he enters into this matchup, it'll be the first time an openly gay player has ever been in a NBA game, or any other Big 4 (NBA, MLB, NFL, NHL) sporting event in history. Yeah, that should be enough intrigue for a game starting at 6:00 pm in Los Angeles and 9:00 pm here in the New York area.
Obviously, a meeting with the depleted Lakers is one the Nets, even with the buzz and intrigue of the recently-signed Collins, have to win and simply cannot afford to lose. Brooklyn lost in tough fashion to the Warriors last night and have losable road contests with the Blazers and Nuggets upcoming, so a win tonight is massively important.
Probable Lineups
BKN- Deron Williams (PG), Joe Johnson (SG), Paul Pierce (SF), Andrei Kirilenko (PF), Mason Plumlee (C)
LAL- Kendall Marshall (PG), Jodie Meeks (SG), Wesley Johnson (SF), Ryan Kelly (PF), Pau Gasol (C)
Final Thoughts
In the hours leading up to tipoff of this game–in around 15 minutes or so–we've learned that Brooklyn will be without Marcus Thornton (food poisoning), Kevin Garnett (rest), and Shaun Livingston (bruised tailbone) available. This means Thornton's Nets debut won't happen until Wednesday the earliest, when the team heads to Portland to play the Blazers. It also means that Jason Collins might have to play significant time in this one, simply because a lot of guys are missed for the Nets. If he does, it'll be interesting to see how well he plays in his first NBA game in 10 months.
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