In what will be a game with as little star-power than recently expected, the 25-27 Brooklyn Nets resume basketball activities with a trip out East to the City of Brotherly Love Philadelphia in a prime-time battle of two Atlantic Division rivals, tipping off at 8:00 p.m. ET in the first of two games tonight on TNT.
The news that broke for the Nets was all too harrowing to swallow: for the remainder of their 2019-20 campaign, Kyrie Irving will miss out on the rest of the season from a shoulder procedure he has yet to undergo, and as a team, they’ll have to scourage together a pliable scheme that will effectively space the floor off the dribble, and produce offense from their backcourt at the same time, which, ironically, isn’t something that the Nets aren’t too privy of shying away from.
In the 20 games that they’ve played with Irving as the starting quarterback of the offense, they won 8 games and proceeded to lose the rest, regardless of whatever high numerical amount Irving would put up on the scoring sheet by himself. But, Nets fans shouldn’t fret, at least not that much, for they’ve done a well-enough job without the two-time All-NBA selection to gauge top-8 playoff positioning within the 16 teams in the East.
Led by Caris LeVert and Spencer Dinwiddie, who have carried what feels like a sinking ship in Brooklyn above sea level, both guards have done just that, averaging a combined 36.2 points per game in the 28 games they’ve played together this year. And yet, this ship they’re supposedly keeping afloat is going to have to hold the mast high against a home-court-favored juggernaut in the Philadelphia 76ers who, through after four months of play, still possess the best home record in the NBA at 25-2.
The fifth-ranked squad in the East is still trying to work out the kinks as this season reaches its conclusion and ahead of the penultimate season-ending month of March, higher seeding, snapping back into playoff shape, proper floor spacing, better understanding of Brett Brown’s offense and not having such an ugly road record have all become an imperative emphases as we inch closer to the postseason. Tonight, however, expect the roles of guards and forwards like Alec Burks and Glenn Robinson to broaden as Ben Simmons sits this second-half opener out with some back tightness issues.
As for everyone else, it’s yet to be seen who wins in the third matchup between Joel Embiid and Jarrett Allen go to war, and if the Nets can garner enough offense to keep up with the fast pace and pesky wingspan that Philly shows to all who oppose them inside the Wells Fargo Center. The All-Star break is up, and it’s time to get back to work. That goes for every team scattered throughout this league and for both teams tonight, that starts with a W to kick things off on the right foot.
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