Nets welcome injury-plagued Portland to Brooklyn in must-win: Gameday

Portland Trail Blazers (26-42) vs Brooklyn Nets (36-34)
Friday, March 18 @ Barclays Center

How to Watch/Listen:

Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 ET. The game can be followed on YES and 101.9 FM/660 AM.

Matchup:

Coming off a highly-competitive loss to Dallas on Wednesday night, the Nets will look to rebound in Friday night’s home contest against Portland. Fortunately, Brooklyn is expecting Seth Curry to be available tonight after a three-game absence. Although the sharpshooter will provide valuable spacing, he will not be at full strength.

Adds that while the ankle is feeling better, the discomfort is something he’ll have to deal with the rest of the season.

— Michael Grady (@Grady) March 18, 2022

Brooklyn dropped the first game of the season series in Portland on January 10th. All five of the Blazers’ starters scored in double figures en route to a 114-108 win. With the immense amount of roster turnover in Portland, opportunities have been widely available for the youth of the team. Trendon Watford recently became the first Blazers rookie since Damian Lillard to score 10+ points in seven straight games. Meanwhile, Brandon Williams leads all undrafted rookies in scoring as he averages 13.4 points per game.

"Barack Obama, That 44!"
? Josh Hart swarmed by his teammates after setting a career-high with 44 PTS tonight for the @Trailblazers! pic.twitter.com/PykKz5Hy49

— NBA (@NBA) March 13, 2022

Steve Nash and the Nets will have to account for Josh Hart, who has been on a tear over the last week. Admittedly a small sample, in the previous three games, the Villanova-product has tallied 30.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 1.3 steals per game in 34.0 minutes per game. Over that time, he is shooting 56.1% from the field, including 54.5% from three on 7.3 attempts per game. Also, Hart is fearless when attacking the rim, which causes numerous fouls to be drawn on the defense.

Nets’ Playoff Push:

Each loss causes Brooklyn to become increasingly more desperate for wins. Wednesday’s loss at the hands of longtime-Net Spencer Dinwiddie was no different. Currently slotted in eighth, and 3.5 games back of seventh-place Toronto with a dozen games left, tonight is a must-win. Cleveland, in sixth-place, sits outside of the play-in, also 3.5 games above the Nets.

Injury Report:

Nets: Seth Curry (left ankle soreness) is questionable. LaMarcus Aldridge (right hip impingement), Joe Harris (left ankle surgery), Kyrie Irving (unvaccinated), Ben Simmons (reconditioning/back soreness), and David Duke Jr. (G League assignment) are out.

Blazers: Eric Bledsoe (left Achilles), Joe Ingles (left knee), Damian Lillard (core muscle), Nassir Little (left shoulder), Didi Louzada (left knee), Jusuf Nurkic (left foot/plantar fasciitis), and Anfernee Simons (patellar tendinopathy) are all listed as out.