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The 1st-rounder the Nets traded to Portland for Gerald Wallace? Yeah, that was used for Damian Lillard. |
When: 10:00 PM EST; Wednesday, February 26th, 2014
Where: Moda Center; Portland, OR
TV: YES Network
I wrote yesterday about the possibility of Shaun Livingston, Kevin Garnett, and newcomer Marcus Thornton all playing tonight and earlier today, some Rod Boone tweets confirmed my idea. Livingston and Garnett will both return to the Brooklyn starting lineup while Thornton will make his team debut, after missing the Nets' last two games in Golden State and Los Angeles due to lobster mac and cheese food poisoning. Never a dull moment with this team, let me tell you.
Meanwhile, Portland–which beat the Nets soundly in Brooklyn earlier this year–will be without star power forward LaMarcus Aldridge (groin) and reserve forward Thomas Robinson (knee) for tonight's game, which is really good news for the Nets, who are coming off a pretty convincing win over the Lakers on Sunday. The Blazers, on the other hand, routed the Nuggets last night and have won three in a row overall.
Probable Lineups
BKN- Deron Williams (PG), Shaun Livingston (SG), Joe Johnson (SF), Paul Pierce (PF), Kevin Garnett (C)
POR- Damian Lillard (PG), Wesley Matthews (SG), Dorell Wright (SF), Nicolas Batum (PF), Robin Lopez (C)
Final Thoughts
Portland is really good, as Damian Lillard, Nicolas Batum, and Wesley Matthews are three core players who can rack up points in a hurry. But Aldridge is the team's elder statesman–even though he's not old–and is who much of the Blazers' offense is ran through. Without him on the floor, this team is much less intimidating than it normally is. That's an opportunity the Nets have to take advantage of.
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