Nets Aim to Win a Second Consecutive Game Against the Bulls
On Friday night, the Brooklyn Nets were at home taking on the Chicago Bulls in what was expected to be a close scoring matchup. The Nets outscored the Bulls by 17 points during the first half, yet it was Chicago outscoring Brooklyn by 14 in the final 12 minutes of action. Chicago would take a one-point lead with 11 seconds remaining in the game; however, a Michael Porter Jr. layup and two Noah Clowney free throws would give the Nets a three-point lead with two seconds remaining. Nikola Vučević would try a last-second shot and missed, giving the Nets a much-needed 112-109 win, breaking their five-game losing streak. These two teams will meet again Sunday night, this time in Chicago, another matchup Brooklyn will look to capitalize on. The Nets will aim for a second consecutive win against the Bulls, as well as inch closer to the 12th-place spot in the Eastern Conference.
Porter Jr. led the way, leading all scorers with 26 points. He hit five three-pointers as well as collecting seven rebounds, an assist, and a steal. For Clowney, he finished the game with 23 points and 11 rebounds. Both players will need to be key contributors in their Sunday night matchup against the Bulls. Other Nets, such as Nic Claxton, must have a big impact on the rebounding side, just like he did on Friday night, recording 14 rebounds in the win. Backup center Day’Ron Sharpe also needs to be productive on both the offensive and defensive ends of the ball, as he has been for the past couple of games. Brooklyn’s 48 percent from deep and 47 rebounds on the night propelled them to a much-needed victory. They must continue that momentum heading into Sunday night. The Nets had 14 turnovers compared to the Bulls’ seven. Brooklyn will need to cut down on the bad passes and sloppy play to keep their hopes going.
The Bulls are still without Josh Giddey, who suffered a left hamstring strain late in December against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Without their star, Chicago has gone 4-5, so they're in desperate need of bringing back their leading scorer and assist maker. Even though Giddey has been unavailable, the Bulls put up a fight Friday night. Vučević led the team with 19 points, but five other Bulls scored in double digits, such as Ayo Dosunmu with 18, Coby White with 17 in the loss, Matas Buzelis collected 15, Jalen Smith scored 14, and Tre Jones dropped 11. The Bulls scored 14 more points in the paint than Brooklyn on Friday night. They must continue this tactic without Giddey in the lineup. They also must be more effective on the glass if they want to take revenge on the Nets on their home court in Chicago.
Without Giddey, the biggest matchup to look for is at the center position with Claxton against Vučević. While Vučević scored 12 more points than Claxton, the Nets center collected eight more rebounds. I also think the backup center matchup between Sharpe and Smith will play as another key factor in this one. Smith had 14 points and 13 rebounds in the loss, while Sharpe finished with 14 points and six rebounds. The effort of keeping the opponent off the glass for the starters and backups will be a big deal that determines this game. Another matchup to check out is whether Isaac Okoro stops Porter Jr. on the offensive end. Okoro is a great defensive wing who can shut down any team’s top scorer. Will the former NBA Champion in Porter Jr. be able to continue the offensive barrage for the Nets?
Porter Jr. has been on a tear lately, scoring 20-plus points in five of his last six games. His scoring is what kept this Nets team in any win they’ve had this season. He must continue his great scoring season in order for Brooklyn to pick up a second consecutive win against the Bulls. Without Giddey, the Nets should be the team that’s favored in this matchup and rightfully so. For Brooklyn, they have more offensive weapons like a Cam Thomas, who can be a scoring machine at any time during a game. A second straight win will give this Nets team a boost of confidence going into their next game against the Phoenix Suns, Monday, January 19th.
