The Nets and Magic complete their two game weekend set with an afternoon tilt at Barclays Center.
So it appears we’ve found the Brooklyn Nets’ kryptonite after all. After an improbable three game West Coast winning streak, the Nets came home to face a resurgent Orlando Magic team. Orlando proved to be way too much for the Nets as Brooklyn lost by 23 points on Friday night.
Where to follow the game
YES Network on TV. WFAN on radio. Brunch and basketball so we getting started after 3:30 p.m. ET.
Injuries
No Cam Thomas, Bojan Bogdanovic, Noah Clowney, Dorian Finney-Smith Day’ron Sharpe or Jaylen Martin. Dennis Schroder, who missed Friday night’s game for personal reasons, isn’t on the injury report so expect him to be available.
Paolo Banchero and Gary Harris are out.
The game
Orlando won the first and second meetings. These teams wrap up the season series at the end of December.
When this wraps up, the Nets hit the road while the Magic while be staying in New York. The Nets have a game against the Bulls tomorrow night while the Magic take a trip to MSG to try and secure a spot in the NBA Cup Semifinals against the New York Knicks.
With Thomas out, Cam Johnson slides up a role on offense. With Dennis Schroder back, CJ can work as the number two option on offense instead of number one. He only took ten field goal attempts in 29 minutes, but that can’t happen again if the Nets want to get back in the winner’s circle. We know how dynamic of a shooter Johnson is, so his ability to drive to the basket and finish at the rim takes on even more importance
Gonna need a lot more of that if the Nets want to pull off the upset.
When you see a team back-to-back games, you try not to over react to the first meeting. Your strategy is your strategy and you have to execute in order for you to win. For the Nets, they’ll have to fix their turnover woes. They coughed it up a season high 20 times as Orlando cashed in 34 points off those turnovers
You gotta be a lot cleaner than that against a team this good.
The ball always beats the defender and we see that on full display here
A perfect encapsulation of the two-way basketball the Magic are currently playing. First you see a beautiful possession that ends with a Wendell Carter Jr corner 3. Then after a Jalen Suggs steal another extra pass leads to another corner 3.
Electric.pic.twitter.com/QDMD1fMdVT
— Hot Hand Theory (@HotHandTheory) November 30, 2024
That’s the good stuff. When you’re missing one of your go to scorers, it take a team effort to make up for the loss.
It also doesn’t hurt to have one of the brightest young stars in the game on your side as well. Franz Wagner put on another All Star performance as he ran the show with 29/8/8/2/1 in 35 minutes. You need stars to contend, and Wagner is someone who’s getting better by the game.
Player to watch: Jalen Suggs
Who doesn’t love a nice helping of antics to go with their basketball?!
BKN forces another TO in the back-court, then Ben Simmons and Suggs get techs. Crowd got real loud after this (Bonus: Ben has been making his presence felt all night) pic.twitter.com/bTDCrIAtiE
— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) November 30, 2024
One thing about the Nets is they will get in your face.
Suggs will also get in your face as well too. He’s the lead dog of one of the league’s stingiest defenses. Orlando allows 105 points per 100 possessions, third lowest in the NBA thus far. They also allow the fewest three pointers in the league, and wouldn’t you know it? The Nets took a season low 29 three pointers on Friday night! Having Suggs out there makes it harder for the Nets to get into their offense and find good looks on the perimeter.
Assuming Simmons is out there, the Nets will need him to keep the offense humming along. The Nets are missing the starting backcourt, and Ben will need to take on more playmaking duties to offset the absence of Schroder. Ben still has tremendous court vision and he knows how to set his teammates up. And Ben is not one to back down from a fight, which is something every body can appreciate.
From the Vault
Late Saturday night, it was announced that legendary St. John’s men’s basketball and former New York Nets coach Lou Carnesecca passed away at the age of 99. Carnesecca was an institution in New York basketball and the impact he had on the game is immeasurable. With that in mind, let’s take it back to 1985 and the famous “Sweater Game” between the Johnnies and the Georgetown Hoyas!
More reading: SB Nation NBA, Orlando Magic Daily
- Brooklyn Nets Game Notes – Brooklyn Nets
- Orlando Magic Game Notes – Orlando Magic
- Magic’s Franz Wagner rising to challenge, especially against Nets – Larry Fleisher – NBA
- Magic play the Nets, seek 6th straight victory – AP
- Small part of Nic Claxton’s game has been bugging his Nets coach – Peter Botte – New York Post
- Nets already get chance to pay back Magic for loss in Brooklyn – Peter Botte – New York Post
- Nets’ Jordi Fernandez reveals Nic Claxton ‘management plan’ as center battles back injury – Erik Slater – Clutch Points