Game 62 Preview: Brooklyn Nets (17-44) at Denver Nuggets (24-37)

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When: March 4, 2016; 9:00 PM EST

Where: Pepsi Center; Denver, CO

TV: YES Network

Radio: WFAN 660 AM

The second half of the Nets’ season-long nine-game road trip begins tonight in Denver against the Nuggets who, like Brooklyn, are just playing out the string in another playoff-less campaign. Denver also might be without star forward Danilo Gallinari for the rest of the season, as he was diagnosed with multiple torn ligaments in his ankle. Nuggets coach Michael Malone will have to decide whether or not to shut the former Knick down because the injury will keep him out until the beginning of April at the least.

After a promising stretch in which they beat the Suns and Jazz in back-to-back games, the Nets reverted back to their usual selves during a two-day sojourn to Los Angeles in which they lost to both the Clippers and Lakers. Brooklyn hung around with the Clippers but just didn’t put forth a good performance against the hapless Lakers in a very disappointing loss.

Denver actually beat the Lakers a night after the Nets lost to them, which followed a stretch in which the Nuggets had lost five of six. Trade deadline acquisition D.J. Augustin, picked up from the Thunder in exchange for Randy Foye, led the way with 26 points off the bench while rookie point guard Emmanuel Mudiay posted 22 points and 7 assists.

Probable lineups

BKN- Donald Sloan (PG), Wayne Ellington (SG), Bojan Bogdanovic (SF), Thaddeus Young (PF), Brook Lopez (C)

DEN- Emmanuel Mudiay (PG), Gary Harris (SG), JaKarr Sampson (SF), Kenneth Faried (PF), Nikola Jokic (C)

Final thoughts

Denver is not a particularly good offensive team and is without its best scorer in Gallinari, but does have a bunch of young weapons in Mudiay, Gary Harris and Will Barton who can all put up points quickly. A backcourt of Mudiay and Harris will be a tough cover for Donald Sloan and Wayne Ellington in a similar way that the Lakers’ Jordan Clarkson and D’Angelo Russell were on Tuesday night.

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