Brooklyn Nets vs. Minnesota Timberwolves Pre-Game Report
Nov 8, 2016; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) drives the lane against Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez (11) and Brooklyn Nets shooting guard Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (24) during the first quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
The Brooklyn Nets end their week on a matchup against the young, rising Minnesota Timberwolves. They are looking to avoid a four-game skid and another winless week.
The Brooklyn Nets and Minnesota Timberwolves are both rebuilding teams in the NBA, though the Wolves are further along in their rebuild, with nearly twice as many wins as the Nets so far this season. Minnesota is also battling for a playoff spot in the drowning Western Conference, only three games removed from the eighth spot.
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The two teams were rather exciting to watch in their first matchup of the season, going head to head, and Brooklyn won 119-110. Ironically, that game was the front-end of a back-to-back for the Nets, and now, they’ll face the Wolves on the tail-end of another back-to-back set.
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Brooklyn is coming off a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers last night after falling short in a late fourth quarter surge. Though they’ll be playing for two consecutive nights, they’ll be well-rested, with Caris LeVert and Brook Lopez returning from sitting out for the prior matchup. The Nets were missing three other players in Cleveland; two due to injuries (Jeremy Lin and Joe Harris), and Trevor Booker due to illness.
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Meanwhile, Minnesota is coming off a tight battle against the Indiana Pacers. They fought hard, but came up short, 109-103. However, the Wolves have won three of their last four games, including one against the Los Angeles Clippers, so they aren’t a team the Nets should overlook
With both teams having such young talent, it’ll certainly be another intriguing matchup, even if the teams are far from being legitimate playoff contenders.
Nov 8, 2016; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets shooting guard Isaiah Whitehead (15) drives against Minnesota Timberwolves power forward Gorgui Dieng (5) during the fourth quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Nets’ Keys to Victory
1) The starters need to pull their weight
The Nets have seen may lineup changes this season, and resting players or losing players to injuries have only worsened this cause. Prior to the Nets’ matchup against the Cavs, Kenny Atkinson has used a starting five of Spencer Dinwiddie, Randy Foye, Bojan Bogdanovic, Trevor Booker, and Brook Lopez for two games. Booker and Lopez were absent last night, but at least one of the two are expected to return in Minnesota. Additionally, it’s unclear if Atkinson will once again deploy Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, who made his first start last night since January 10, but this move was likely made because of Booker’s illness.
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Either way, the starters need to pull their weight, with the Nets’ bench looking stronger and stronger every game. In their loss to Cleveland, there were negatives across the board for the starters, while most of their reserves had positives. A strong bench is essential, but the reserves can’t be the only ones producing.
2) Prevent huge scoring outbursts by Andrew Wiggins and Karl Anthony-TownsIn the Nets’ and the Wolves’ last matchup, Andrew Wiggins dropped a game-high 36 points in a surmounting 41 minutes of action. Karl Anthony-Towns is also coming off a 33-point performance in a loss to the Indiana Pacers. Both of these games have been close ones for the Wolves, so they could have very well turned the tables. The Nets will need to keep their eyes peeled for both of these young stars on the Wolves and stop them from going off too easily.3) Stay in the game in reboundingThe Nets stayed toe-to-toe with the Wolves on the boards in their previous matchup, out-rebounding the Wolves 43-41. This was accomplished through strong rebounding performances by Trevor Booker (9), Isaiah Whitehead (7), and Justin Hamilton (6). I know what you’re thinking. It’s not surprising at all that Brook Lopez’s name isn’t mentioned here (he only had three boards). But that’s exactly the problem — the Nets don’t have enough players they can depend on to crash the boards, though it has been becoming more of a team effort as of late. Their best rebounder is Booker, who averages 8.7 per game. The Wolves have a couple of formidable rebounders on their team — Karl Anthony-Towns averages 11.9, and Gorgui Dieng averages 7.5. So even if we can’t pinpoint who exactly will keep the Nets can depend on to grab boards tonight, they’ll need to depend on another team effort to get them past the Wolves.
Players to Watch
Next: Projected Lineups & Injury Report
Nov 8, 2016; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) reacts after dunking over Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez (11) during the second quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Projected Starters
Nets:
Timberwolves:
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Injuries
Nets:
Timberwolves:
Key Matchup
Caris LeVert vs. Andrew Wiggins
The Wolves are full of young talent, most notably previous Rookies of the Year Andrew Wiggins and Karl Anthony-Towns. However, while the Nets likely aren’t to have anyone winning ROY this year, the Nets are also full of young talent, and Brooklyn’s best young talent is none other than Caris LeVert. LeVert didn’t make his Nets debut until December 7, so he didn’t play in Brooklyn’s first game against Minnesota this season. However, tonight, he’ll be well-rested after not playing in the first half of the back-to-back, and LeVert always steps up to plate, no matter what the challenge is and how many minutes he receives. It’ll be eye-popping to watch young talent going up against young talent, and we’re sure to see plenty of LeVert versus Wiggins matchups tonight.
The game will be broadcast on YES Network at 8:00 PM EST. Join the conversation by tweeting @NetsBlogFS.
