Nets Will Look to Dissolve a Four-Game Losing Streak Against the Clippers
On Wednesday, January 21st, the Brooklyn Nets got embarrassed by the New York Knicks, losing by 54 points and scoring an NBA season low of 66 points. This gave the Nets a ton of motivation and encouragement not to get humiliated in their next matchup against the second-seeded Boston Celtics. Fairly enough, Brooklyn showed out; they pushed the game to overtime, but a clutch three by Celtics guard Hugo González pushed the game to a second overtime period, where ultimately Boston took a 130-126 win. The Nets now look to end a four-game losing streak in Los Angeles against the Clippers on Sunday night. Currently, Los Angeles is 20-24, sitting 10th in the Western Conference, holding a game and a half lead for the final Play-In spot over the Dallas Mavericks. As Brooklyn sinks closer to 15th place within the Eastern Conference, Brooklyn’s front office is very likely looking forward to the NBA Trade Deadline as well as the NBA Draft.
The Nets will rely on Michael Porter Jr. to be the all-star he has been all season. The former 2023 NBA Champion has scored 20-plus points in seven out of his last nine games. Rookie point guard Nolan Traoré scored a career-high of 21 points in 37 minutes on seven of 13 shooting from the field. Traoré also collected two of the team’s five steals in the loss, showing head coach Jordi Fernández that he may want to insert the 21-year-old more into the regular rotation. Porter Jr. will need to play great on the defensive end against a potential future Hall of Famer in Kawhi Leonard. The collective effort of Brooklyn’s young talent will have a difficult time stopping another possible future Hall of Famer in James Harden. Fernández will need to create an effortless gameplan for the Nets to pick up a well-needed win on the road.
LA’s tandem of Leonard and Harden will be a major factor in this matchup. If they can continue to play great and score effortlessly, the Clippers should get another win to push them closer to .500. Ivica Zubac will also need to have a solid outing if Los Angeles wants to win. In the Clippers’ last game, a 112-104 win against the Los Angeles Lakers, Zubac pulled down 19 rebounds while scoring 18 points. Another huge effort from the big man will surely get the Los Angeles a key win at home.
The biggest matchup to focus on is between Leonard and Porter Jr. Both will look to shut down the other’s offensive prowess. If Leonard’s shooting can push the Clippers on a run during the first or last quarter, Los Angeles will find themselves with a win. Yet, if Porter Jr.’s shooting can consistently keep the Nets in the game, we could be looking at a great game or even a win by Brooklyn. Rebounding will also play a big part for Brooklyn. If they can out-rebound Los Angeles effectively and score on great opportunities, the Nets can upset the Clippers at the Intuit Dome.
In their last matchup on January 9th, the Clippers got the win in a 121-105 matchup. Harden led the way with 31 while Egor Dёmin scored 19 for Brooklyn. Porter Jr. will look to be a bigger factor in this game and prove he’s capable of running a team as its primary scorer. Los Angeles has won four out of the last five matchups against Brooklyn and surely has a great probability of winning against the Nets Sunday night. So much so, I’m going to say the Clippers walk away with at least a 15-point win. Even well past their prime, Leonard and Harden continue to show how dominant they are at 36 years old.
