Time: 09:00 PM EST
Location: American Airlines Center
Watch: YES Network/ Fox Sports Go
Listen: WFAN 660AM/101.9FM
After failing to close out against the Atlanta Hawks Wednesday, the Brooklyn Nets end its circus road trip Friday against Dirk Nowitzki and the hosting Dallas Mavericks. Even though Nowitzki became the sixth player to score 30,000 points on Tuesday, Nets fans will have their eyes set on Yogi Ferrell, the 6’0 point guard who was cut by the Nets to make room for Spencer Dinwiddie. Ferrell averaged 17.2 points in his first five games with the Mavericks, and over the past month, he’s averaged 10.3 points to go with 5.7 assists and three rebounds.
The Nets and Mavericks have always been high on similar point guards. Jason Kidd, Devin Harris, Deron Williams, Shane Larkin and now Yogi Ferrell has suited up for both teams. Williams continued to prolong his first encounter against his former team as he was waived and signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers, who are not on the Nets upcoming schedule.
This is the first meeting between the two teams and while the Nets sit at an 11-52 record, the Mavericks are currently 27-36. Despite being nine games under the .500 mark, the Mavericks are in pursuit of the wide open eighth seed in the Western Conference along with the current eighth seed Denver Nuggets and the ninth-seeded Portland Trail Blazers, who defeated the Nets a week ago. Therefore the Mavs should be eager to get a win against the lowly Nets.
Brook Lopez will watch from the sidelines as he suffered a sprained ankle, giving Quincy Acy more minutes against his former team. Much of the offense should be expected to run through Sean Kilpatrick, who’s been hot off the bench as of late and Jeremy Lin who has excelled since his return. Despite being at the bottom of the conference, Brooklyn Grit will be on full display as the Nets try to take a win before heading home.
3 Things to Watch for in Nets-Mavericks
- Spencer Dinwiddie vs. Yogi Ferrell
Since the Dallas Mavericks signed Ferrell and “Yogi-Mania” was the buzz around the NBA, Nets fans have debated if they made the right move. Dinwiddie has been progressing well throughout his stint with the Nets, his turnover percentage is down as well as his three-point performance. He’s averaged eight points and four assists over the past month and a solid performance for Dinwiddie would give Nets fans some assurance on the front office’s moves.
- Sean Kilpatrick
Kilpatrick has been on fire lately, scoring 20 plus points off the bench in each of the past three games to become the first Net to do so since Andray Blatche in the 2012-2013 season. With Lopez out, Kilpatrick should have plenty of opportunities to put up 20 for a fourth straight night.
- Quincy Acy
Quincy Acy has impressed since signing with the Nets, showing toughness on defense, an unmatchable level of energy and the ability to shoot from beyond the arc. With Lopez out, Acy should see plenty of minutes at the five. Acy scored 18 points connecting on two three-pointers in the Nets loss to the Jazz on Mar. 3. An encore of that performance would help the Nets in Lopez’s absence.
