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Brooklyn Nets vs. Los Angeles Lakers preview: Trying to get back on track

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Los Angeles Lakers v Dallas Mavericks
Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images

D’Angelo Russell is coming back to L.A. but the big news is what the Nets can do to get back on track, if that is what they want.

You ever have a bad day at work? I mean really, really, REALLY bad? The kind of days where literally nothing goes right and you’re just counting down the hours until it’s time to go home and forget that day ever happened? That’s what the Brooklyn Nets experienced on Wednesday night as they lost by 59 (yes, 59) points to the Los Angeles Clippers. It was the worst loss (by margin. Lord knows the Nets know about painful losses) in franchise history. On the bright side, it only counts for one L on the scoreboard.

The opponent tonight is still trying to figure some things out. The Los Angeles Lakers have championship dreams with first year head coach JJ Redick, but it’s been a bumpy road. LA helped their cause by beating the Miami Heat on Wednesday night. Coming into this contest, the Lakers are in sixth place in the Western Conference, but within striking distance of the top four and homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

Where to follow the game

YES Network on TV. WFAN on radio. Tip after 10:30 p,m. ET.

Injuries

Bojan Bogdanovic, Cam Thomas, DeAnthony Melton, Maxwell Lewis, and Trendon Watford are out. Dariq Whitehead is with the Long Island Nets. Cam Johnson is questionable. The Nets are 0-8 without him, and his combination of size and shooting would be missed.

Jarred Vanderbilt, Christian Wood, and Jalen Hood-Schifino are out. Our old friend Dorian Finney-Smith is doubtful for personal reasons. There’s a reason DFS is away, and it’s a pretty great one!

Congratulations!!

The game

California is still being affected by the wildfires, and our friends at Silver Screen and Roll have some great info about the work the Lakers are doing to help out.

Nic Claxton had an especially rough outing on Wednesday, and tonight he gets to bounce back against a Top 75 player of all time. Anthony Davis has anchored the Lakers for much of the season, and Redick is thinking of getting him some more size in the frontcourt to help him out:

“We kind of went away from those two big lineups. It’s something we did last night. It’s something we’re going to try to get back to for small stretches of games. It doesn’t mean we won’t play small ever, but that’s something I think where, when we can get some practice time, we can really work on those small ball looks.”

Davis is tough enough to score against. But when he’s able to roam a bit more while another big does the dirty work inside? Good luck. On the other side of the ball, the big guy is the go to option on offense and has put up around 26/12/3/1/2 a night on 53 percent shooting. Davis does just about everything well on the court and is someone that can singlehandedly alter an opponent’s game plan. It’s no wonder he’s a shoo in for another All Star appearance and a likely Hall of Fame induction when he retires.

For Claxton, tonight would be a great time to bounce back. It’s been a fairly disappointing season for him, and tonight is as good a time as any to snap out of it. Noah Clowney will also get turns guarding Davis, and the super sophomore can gain some more valuable experience against one of the league’s greats.

If Brooklyn wants to pull off the upset, they’re going to need to heat up from distance. The Nets come into this contest eighth in three pointers attempted while the Lakers are just 27th. What the Nets may lack in efficiency, they’ll have to make up in volume. With D’Angelo Russell returning tonight, he should be able to help against his former team.

The Lakers are 3-4 since they traded D’Lo.

“I expect him to come out and try to have a great game,” the Lakers head guy, J.J. Redick told LakersNation’s Daniel Starkland after Thursday’s practice. “He does not have a lack of competitiveness. He takes a lot of pride in who he is as a player. I’m expecting him to try to go at us tomorrow.”

Bottom line: After a record setting blowout, the losing team always looks to come back with more fire and energy the next time. Despite plenty of tough losses, Jordi Fernandez has always made sure the team is ready to get back on the good foot and compete.

Player to watch: LeBron James

It looked like Father Time was winning the battle, but old man LeBron still has plenty of tricks up his sleeve. After returning to action following a week off, LeBron James has gone back to playing exceptional ball. Since December 15, James is averaging 24.8 points on .542/.463/.750 shooting splits in almost 35 minutes a night. Like a lot of people in LA, James has had to deal with the issues surrounding the fires in the state. He’s doing his best to work through it, and the game of basketball should be a nice reprieve for him and the fans.

Even in Year 22, James still brings plenty to the table. The physical peaks aren’t where they were during his younger years, but the intelligence and experience he’s gained over the years makes up for it. The job for Redick is to nurse him through the regular season and hope he has enough in the tank to go on another magical playoff run.

Ben Simmons being back should help the Nets get out on the run. He’s collected at least six assists in 11 straight games and when he pushes to get to the basket, good things happen

Simmons has looked pretty good in recent weeks, and if he continues to play at this level, it’ll ensure that the Nets are competitive every night. The Lakers defense allows teams to shoot 70.4 percent inside the restricted area, second highest mark in the NBA this season. If the Nets are active off the ball, they’ll be able to find lanes to the basket where Simmons will be able to get them in scoring position.

From the Vault

Since we’re in his city, it’s only right

More reading: Silver Screen and Roll, SB Nation NBA