Tonight the Nets are looking to get their first win streak of the season, but the Nets technically do have a win streak. The Nets have won 3 straight games on the road as they start a 4 game road trip. If the Nets are going to want to continue this streak, they are going to have to go down to Memphis and beat the Grizzlies.
The last time these two teams played, the Nets were able to jump out to a big time early lead only to fall apart in the second half. I think the Nets have gotten better/smarter when it comes to playing a full 48 minutes, so that means we should be getting a very interesting game.
Devin Harris vs. Mike Conley
Devin is coming off of another great game, and that is starting to happen more often than not, which is comforting to see. Meanwhile on the other end, Mike Conley is considered by a good amount of people as one of the worst starting PGs in the league. Here is what 3 Shades Of Blue has to say of him:
Mike Conley has picked up his game since the All-Star break and is starting to look more and more comfortable running the point but Memphis fans have seen similar stretches from Conley before only to watch him revert to the tentative PG who panicked at open shots.
Advantage: Devin Harris
Courtney Lee vs. O.J. Mayo
When Lee went down with the ankle injury a few games ago, I was really worried because it looked like his shot was finally coming around and to see him go down with an ankle (an injury that really hurts jump shooters), all his work to get back could have gone down the drain. However, Lee came back Saturday night like nothing ever happened. He was sticking his shots all night.
Advantage: Push
Trenton Hassell vs. Rudy Gay
Yes, Trenton Hassell is still starting. This could be 1 of 2 reasons. The first is that Hayes is still being bothered by injury a bit. The second is that the Nets’ coaching staff believes Hayes is more of an effective shooter when he comes off the bench. Either way, Hassell has been doing a decent enough job, but the fact that he is starting really tells you about the lack of depth the Nets have.
Advantage: Rudy Gay
Kris Humphries vs. Zach Randolph
Humphries came to New Jersey like a bat out of hell. He came in and was hitting shots, grabbing rebounds, and doing just about everything you could ask of him (he even set his career high in points twice). He fell off, and you can blame Yi and Kiki from taking minutes away from him, but when it comes down to it, he hasn’t been hitting his shots. With all that being said, Humphries is the perfect match-up for a guy like Randolph. He isn’t going to let Zach Randolph push him around on the block or on the offensive board.
Advantage: Zach Randolph
Brook Lopez vs. Marc Gasol
Brook Lopez had his way with Marc Gasol the last time these two played, scoring 22 points in the first half of the ball game. However, he was held to only 4 in the second half because the Grizzlies decided to double on him. It is going to be interesting to see how the Grizzlies defend Brook. I think they will come out and double him from the start, and if this happens, hopefully the good shooting can carry over from last game.
Advantage: Brook Lopez