The Brooklyn Nets will take on the Oklahoma City Thunder on the road next Tuesday. The ball will be tipped off at 8:00 PM EST. The Thunder won the first meeting between these two teams this season, 112-102.
Nets vs. Thunder injuries: 1 Questionable, 3 Out
The paths taken by the Brooklyn Nets and the Oklahoma City Thunder since the All-Star break have been virtually identical.
The Thunder started the second half with a string of five straight losses. In their first four games, the Nets were swept. However, since then, Brooklyn has won five of six games. Even Oklahoma City has experienced this.
Brooklyn are three games behind Cleveland in the Eastern Conference standings and come into the game tied for fifth place with the New York Knicks. Meanwhile, the Thunder are among a slew of Western Conference teams that could potentially advance to the play-in round.
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For both teams, solid defensive play has been crucial to their recent success. The Nets (105.7 points allowed per 100 possessions) and the Thunder (108.4 points allowed per 100 possessions) are both in the top four in defensive rating during their current winning streaks.
The Brooklyn Nets defeated the Denver Nuggets, 122-120, to earn a bye into tonight’s game. It will be crucial for them to maintain this level of play if they are to challenge the Thunder on the road, and they looked fantastic in the second half.
Brooklyn lost Durant and Irving, but the additions of Dorian Finney-Smith and Spencer Dinwiddie in the Irving deal and Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson in the Durant deal have completely changed the Nets, especially their defensive identity.
Although progress has been slow, encouraging outcomes have emerged in recent times.
Ben Simmons is slated to miss a 10th straight game. He’s dealing with knee soreness and inflammation in his back, and the team hasn’t released an official timetable for his return.
The Thunder are coming into this game on the heels of a 102-90 victory over the Spurs in San Antonio. They looked strong on defense, which is important because they will need to maintain that intensity if they want to beat the Nets in their own building.
The Thunder didn’t make many changes at the deadline, though a big piece of their recent success has been the return of All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Gilgeous-Alexander has averaged 35.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 3.0 steals in three games since his return from a five-game absence. He is also shooting 54.7 percent from the field in those contests.
During this stretch, Gilgeous-Alexander has sat out twice, both times on the second game of back-to-backs.
Injury reports Thunder
- Aleksej Pokusevski (Lower Leg) – Out
- Kenrich Williams (Wrist) – Out
- Chet Holmgren (Foot) – Out
Injury reports Nets
- Ben Simmons (Knee) – Questionable
