The Nets (15-34) look to win their sixth home game in their last seven as the Philadelphia 76ers (21-26) come to town. Here are a couple of things I’m looking for in tonight’s game.
Stop Jrue Holiday: Holiday is not a name like Carmelo Anthony or Dirk Nowitzki who jumps off the page, but he’s given the Nets fits this season, averaging 19.5 points and 9 assists on 52 percent shooting. While Devin Harris is one of the speediest players in the NBA, he seems to have a hard time keeping Holiday in front of him on the defensive end.
Spelling Harris: With Jordan Farmar still nursing a sore back and Orien Greene joining the team on a 10-day contract, Ben Uzoh needs to repeat his steady backup performance from Monday when he scored 6 points, dished 4 assists and gathered 3 steals. He looked overwhelmed against Milwaukee on Saturday, and that’s to be expected for an undrafted rookie, but having a player who looks to pass first like Uzoh coming off the bench is a great asset for the Nets to have.
It’s Never Too Early to Dream: Don’t look now but the Nets are playing better the past two weeks and are only 6 games out of a playoff spot in the East. I know the idea of a top draft pick is better in the long-term, but it’s good for the Nets to be thinking competitively. The 76ers are 7 games ahead of the Nets holding the 7th seed, so it’s never too early to start trying to gain ground on the teams in front of you.
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