Grade the Game At Any Time!
Tonight: The 36-26 Brooklyn Nets travel to Atlanta tonight to take on the Atlanta Hawks for the third and final time this season. The teams split the first two matchups, with each team winning at home. The Nets haven’t won in Atlanta since November 2008.
The BK Game Streak: Today marks game 10 of “The BK Game Streak,” where you can build a streak of wins along the betting line over the course of the season. Three prizes will be awarded at the end of the year, with first prize a $200 Amazon Gift Card. Log in with Facebook to get started, vote in the box above, and good luck!
Watch & Listen: Tonight’s game is broadcast on YES Network. Ryan “The Pronunciation Guide” Ruocco and Mike “The Czar” Fratello are on the call. The game is radio simulcast on WFAN, and in Spanish on WADO.
More on tonight’s game, including injuries and stats, after the jump.
Out: No one is officially out for Brooklyn. For Atlanta, Zaza Pachulia will rest his Achilles, leaving former Nets legend Johan Petro to start in his place. Lou Williams is also out after right knee surgery following a nasty accident in Barclays Center the last time these two teams played. Ivan Johnson, who dislocated his left ring finger, will play.
Starting Lineups:
Atlanta Hawks: Jeff Teague, Kyle Korver, Josh Smith, Al Horford, Johan Petro (7 minutes, +/- -23.0 per 100 possessions)
Brooklyn Nets: Deron Williams, Joe Johnson, Gerald Wallace, Reggie Evans, Brook Lopez (420 minutes, +/- -.2 per 100 possessions)
Advanced Statistics:
Atlanta Hawks: 102.6 offensive rating (16th), 101.4 defensive rating (10th), 94.24 possessions per game (15th)
Brooklyn Nets: 103.2 offensive rating (12th), 102.9 defensive rating (15th), 90.84 possessions per game (30th)
Interesting lineup: Nets interim head coach P.J. Carlesimo has often harped that if he had a choice between going small and going big, he’d go big; tonight, the Nets face a lineup doing just that. The Hawks are starting Josh Smith, nominally a power forward, at the small forward spot, putting Al Horford at the 4 and stumbling Johan Petro across the 5. If this alters Smith into shooting lots of long jumpers, the Nets will be all the better for it.
Go Nets!