Grade the Game At Any Time!
Tonight: The 27-18 Brooklyn Nets host the 28-13 Miami Heat in Brooklyn at Barclays Center at 8:00 P.M. EST tonight. The Heat are the league’s defending champions, currently rank first in the Eastern Conference, boast the league’s likely MVP in LeBron James, and were the winners of four straight before losing a 100-98 double-overtime thriller to the Rajon Rondo-less Boston Celtics Sunday night. The Nets are playing their second game in a four-game homestand after taking down the Orlando Magic 97-77 Monday night.
Watch & Listen: Tonight’s game is broadcast on YES Network. Ian Eagle and Jum Spanarkel are on the call. The game is also broadcast nationally on ESPN. The game is radio simulcast on WFAN, and in Spanish on WADO.
More on tonight’s game, including injuries and stats, after the jump.
Injuries: For the Nets, Deron Williams will play; Williams was listed as probable after missing practice and shootaround with flu-like symptoms. Tornike Shengelia, recently recalled from the Springfield Armor, is out indefinitely with a mild concussion (sorry, no concussion is “mild”). For the Heat, Chris Bosh was probable with a sore foot and will play.
Starting Lineups:
Miami Heat: Mario Chalmers, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Udonis Haslem, Chris Bosh (322 minutes, +/- +13.6 per 100 possessions)
Brooklyn Nets: Deron Williams, Joe Johnson, Gerald Wallace, Reggie Evans, Brook Lopez (201 minutes, +/- +6.2 per 100 possessions)
Advanced Statistics:
Orlando Magic: 109.0 offensive rating (2nd), 101.5 defensive rating (11th), 93.45 possessions per game (20th)
Brooklyn Nets: 104.6 offensive rating (9th), 103.4 defensive rating (17th), 90.54 possessions per game (30th)
You read that right: Brooklyn’s current starting 5 is a very respectable +6.2 per 100 possessions — a rating that would, as a team, rank fifth in the league. The Heat’s starting five has a plus-minus more than twice as good as Brooklyn’s, with more than 100 more minutes on the floor together. Yup.
All-Stars in this game: 4: Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Chris Bosh, and Brook Lopez.
