When: 7:30 PM EST; Wednesday, March 4th, 2015
Where: Barclays Center; Brooklyn, NY
TV: YES
The Nets, coming off back-to-back impressive wins over the Mavericks and Warriors, welcome the New Orleans Charlotte Bobcats Hornets to the Barclays Center in what is actually an incredibly important game for both of these teams.
Brooklyn and Charlotte are each 25-33, meaning the teams are tied for the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference, amidst the gaggle of six teams that have just four games separating them.
So, the winner of tonight’s game will remain in the playoffs with the other dropping out, at least for today. Granted, each team will have 23 games left to play after this one, but since the Nets beat the Hornets 114-87 on Decemeber 13th in Charlotte–and there is only one more meeting left this season–Brooklyn can clinch the season series with a victory.
This could potentially be huge for the playoffs, as season series is the first tiebreaker to be used, meaning the Nets would have the edge if they and the Hornets are all knotted up in the final postseason slot at the end of the year.
Charlotte, meanwhile, is without starting point guard and New York City native Kemba Walker, who has been out since January 23rd with a knee injury. Replacing him in the lineup for coach Steve Clifford is Mo Williams, the veteran guard the Hornets picked up a few weeks ago for Gary Neal. Williams, 32, has been huge since the deal, scoring 17 or more points in each of his games with his new teams to the tune of a 22.8 ppg average. He has also dished out eight assists per contest with Charlotte as well.
Probable Lineups
CHA- Mo Williams (PG), Gerald Henderson (SG), Marvin Williams (SF), Michael Kill-Gilchrist (PF), Al Jefferson (C)
BKN- Deron Williams (PG), Markel Brown (SG), Alan Anderson (SF), Joe Johnson (PF), Mason Plumlee (C)
Final Thoughts
The Nets almost swung a Joe Johnson trade with Charlotte centered around Lance Stephenson, the Brooklyn native and former Indiana Pacer who has been relegated to a reserve role by Clifford, in January but thankfully for them, nothing came to fruition. Now, Johnson will have to play a big role for Brooklyn in one of the team’s bigger games in awhile as it looks to establish a firm standing for the postseason. Crazy how things work out.
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