The Nets come home to begin a trade week homestand. First up, the Houston Rockets
That’s two! The Brooklyn Nets opened February with a visit to the Houston Rockets. The Nets surprised just about everyone with a really solid 12 point win.
The opponent tonight is a familiar one. The Rockets have gotten to see plenty of New York basketball over the past few days. They visited MSG to play the New York Knicks and lost a close one.
Where to follow the game
YES Network on TV. WFAN on radio. Tip after 7:30 PM.
Injuries
No Cam Thomas, Cam Johnson, Ben Simmons, Noah Clowney, Bojan Bogdanovic, De’Anthony Melton or Maxwell Lewis. That may change.
Night two of a back-to-back so we’ll see who’s available. Alperen Sengun, Fred Van Vleet, Jock Landale, and Jabari Smith Jr missed last night’s game and chances are they’ll all be out again tonight.
The game
So this is a funny scheduling quirk. This is technically the second half of a home-and-home between these two teams. But for the Rockets, this is the second night of a New York back-to-back. For Brooklyn, this is the front half of their own back-to-back. Can’t say I’ve ever seen something like that before.
As we draw closer to the trade deadline, lord knows what deals may be out there for the taking. Maybe somebody out there has another Earth shattering trade waiting for us? Only time will tell.
In the mean time, we’ll get to watch Amen Thompson in action. The kid picked up his second triple double of the season last night as his 25/11/11/2/1 kept Houston in it.
It’s always fun to watch a young player start to figure things out as they gain more experience.
Speaking of young players starting to figure things out, shouts to Ziaire Williams. He’s been looking good recently and Collin Helwig made note of his successful road trip:
“The numbers stand out on their own, but Williams’ efficiency takes things a step further, as the swingman posted 52/45 splits on the road. Sure, it’s a small sample size, but also, not really. Williams had double-digit shot attempts in the two games, having done on only nine other occasions this year. He also took 10+ shots and shot 50% or better in back-to-back games for the first time all season in this stretch.
None of this came at the expense of Williams’ strong defense either, with him bringing still that ball pressure Fernández raves about to the table each night. But the shot-making also opened up opportunities for him to attack closeouts and find teammates — and sometimes even still score in the process. He deservedly played 30+ minutes in two straight games for the first time all year.”
That’s the thing about watching a rebuilding team. The wins aren’t gonna be there, but the moments where you see the growth manifest itself encourage you to stay locked in and focused on what could be an exciting future.
Even if Sengun is out again, the Rockets will be hard to deal with on the glass. Ime Udoka’s guys are near the top of the rebounding rankings and feature one of the game’s biggest bruisers, Steven Adams. Nic Claxton will have his hands full on the inside and Jordi Fernandez is counting on him to protect the rim, keep the Rockets off the glass, and finish at the rim.
Player to watch: Dillon Brooks
Dillon the Villain has been pretty dang good since he joined the Rockets. He’s shooting a career best 38.5 percent from three point range and is a few games removed from tying a Rockets franchise record with ten (that’s right, 10!) three pointers made in a single game. Brooks gives the Rockets a solid vet that isn’t afraid to get into some foolishness, which can be handy in a postseason setting. It certainly doesn’t feel like he’s been in the NBA for eight years, but it’s true and he’s found a perfect role for himself on the revitalized Rockets.
More Jalen Wilson minutes never hurt anybody. He’s crossed the 32 minute threshold in each of the past five games and with Cam Johnson out again, he should do so again tonight. Like Williams above, Wilson can use this stretch of play to build on his success and establish a steady role for himself. Against a solid playoff team like Houston, a good game will build on his recent stretch of play as well as give him confidence as he continues to find his role in the NBA.
From the Vault
Despite what SOME people may try to tell you, we still acknowledge Black History Month around these parts. With that in mind, ones in the air for Mae Jemison!
More reading: The Dream Shake and SB Nation NBA
- Brooklyn Nets Game Notes – Brooklyn Nets
- Houston Rockets Game Notes – Houston Rockets
- Houston faces Brooklyn on 3-game losing streak – AP
- Nets felt disrespected by Ime Udoka’s ‘lower-level team’ jab following big win – Dan Martin – New York Post
- Why the Luka Dončić shocker has the Nets on alert as trade deadline nears – Brian Lewis – New York Post
- After Luka Doncic trade, did Nets lose bargaining power in a potential Cam Johnson deal? – C.J. Holmes – New York Daily News