 |
| Andrei Kirilenko, who has been hurting from a sprained ankle over the last week or so, will play again tonight, but for the 10th straight game, Kevin Garnett will no (back spasms) |
When: 7:30 PM EST; Wednesday, March 19th, 2014
Where: Barclays Center; Brooklyn, NY
TV: YES Network
After the Washington Wizards lost to the Sacramento Kings late last night in California, the Brooklyn Nets, who were idle but beat the Phoenix Suns on Monday night, jumped into a tie for the No. 5 seed in the East with Washington. Now, the Nets, with the Wizards not playing, can take advantage of their home game tonight against the Charlotte Bobcats by winning and then taking the 5th seed in the conference by themselves.
The only thing in their way is Charlotte, a team that lost to the Atlanta Hawks a few nights ago but has won four of five and is just 2.5 games back of Brooklyn in the No. 7 spot in the East. Al Jefferson is having a great year at the 5 for rookie head coach Steve Clifford, averaging 21.3 points and 10.4 rebounds per contest on 50.5% shooting. He's a huge mismatch down low for most teams in the East, but poses an especially tough problem for the size-challenged Nets without Kevin Garnett. The combo of Plumlee, Blatche, and Jason Collins will have to work together to minimize Jefferson's impact on this game.
Probable Lineups
CHA- Kemba Walker (PG), Gerald Henderson (SG), Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (SF), Josh McRoberts (PF), Al Jefferson (C)
BKN- Deron Williams (PG), Shaun Livingston (SG), Joe Johnson (SF), Paul Pierce (PF), Mason Plumlee (C)
Final Thoughts
The Bobcats have been surprisingly competitive this season, but the Nets, at home nonetheless, need to win this game.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
