The Nets will wrap up a short stop in Brooklyn against the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night (8 p.m.). They’ll try to bounce back from a loss the night before against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Brooklyn held the Lakers to 106 points, but their offense struggled to get going with just James Harden in the lineup, and their defense couldn’t come up with the stops even when they did close the gap.
Harden finished the night with a 33-point triple-double, but it wasn’t enough from dropping the Nets to a 12-12 record at home. It is now the worst home record among any of the teams in a top-four spot in the West or East.
Brooklyn’s struggles at home have been well documented and no one has seemed to have an answer as to why that has been. To add to that, the Nets have gone 6-9 in their last 15 contests. Wednesday, at least, will be the final time until Feb. 8 that the Nets will play with just Harden in the lineup as their lone member of the “Big 3.”
The Nets will play their next five games on the road, where they’ve had much more success this year.
A big part of Tuesday’s loss came down to the Nets’ transition defense. That is sure to be a point of emphasis heading into Wednesday.
“We’re just not paying attention to the details,” James Johnson said. “The players gotta make sure that happens. Our staff does a great job of giving us the details and things we need to do to help us be successful. We just didn’t execute.”
The Nuggets are coming into the meeting off back-to-back wins over the Detroit Pistons, which includes a 110-105 victory in Detroit on Tuesday. Denver has won seven of its last 10 games and has gone 10-5 over a 15 game span.
Nikola Jokic has led the way for the Nuggets and he put up 28 points on Tuesday against Detroit. He has averaged 26.2 points on 52% shooting from the field this season.
Nets Notables
If the Nets win on Wednesday, it would extend their win streak against Denver to four games, which would mark the Nets’ longest winning streak against the Nuggets since winning four straight from 2/13/05 – 1/27/07. … Brooklyn is 11-1 this season when scoring 120+ points and 12-2 when shooting .500+ FG %. The Nets won 31 straight games when scoring 120+ points prior to losing 136-125 at Minnesota on Sunday. … James Harden is tied for second in triple-doubles (nine) with Russell Westbrook and Dejounte Murray, trailing only Nikola Jokic (11).
Nets Injury Report
- Nic Claxton (left hamstring tightness – injury management) — Out
- Kevin Durant (left knee MCL sprain) — Out
- David Duke Jr. (G League – two-way) — Out
- Joe Harris (left ankle surgery) — Out
- Paul Millsap (personal reasons) — Out
- Kyrie Irving — Out
Nuggets Injury Report
- Will Barton (right Hamstring Tightness) — Questionable
- Vlatko Cancar (right foot surgery) — Out
- Jamal Murray (- left Knee injury recovery/Health and Safety Protocols) — Out
- Michael Porter Jr. (lumbar spine surgery) — Out
How to Watch
The game will be televised on YES Network with Ian Eagle, Sarah Kustok and Michael Grady on the call. Chris Carrino and Tim Capstraw will have the call on the radio on 101.9 FM WFAN.
