Upcoming Games
In-Season Tournament Group Play Game #3 tonight vs Magic: Coverage on YES and the YES App begins at 6:30.
Thursday at Heat: Coverage on YES and the YES App begins at 6:30 p.m.
Sunday vs 76ers: Coverage on YES and the YES App begins at 2:30 p.m.
Tipping Off
After splitting their first two games in Chicago and Boston, the Nets will try to move to 2-1 in the NBA’s In-Season Tournament when they host Orlando this evening in the first of two Group Play games that will be held at Barclays Center. Thursday’s matchup with Miami will be the second of three meetings between Brooklyn and the Heat within the season’s first month-plus – their fourth and final game will take place in the middle of January. Sunday’s game will mark the first clash between the Nets and Sixers since Philadelphia swept Brooklyn in the first round of last season’s playoffs, although several key members of that Philly team are no longer with the club including James Harden, who the Nets saw when they defeated the Clippers on Nov. 8.
Nets Notes
Nic Claxton made his presence felt in a big way Sunday against Washington, posting 10 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks in his first game back from a sprained left ankle that caused him to miss Brooklyn’s previous eight. Mikal Bridges also notched a double-double versus the Wizards, logging 27 points and 13 boards while also taking a career-high 29 field goal attempts. Lonnie Walker IV is averaging 15.4 PPG off the bench, third-most in the NBA behind Dallas’ Tim Hardaway Jr. (17.6) and ex-Net Caris LeVert of the Cavaliers (17.5). Harry Giles III made his Nets debut this past Friday against the Celtics, scoring seven points in a little less than six minutes during his first NBA action since postseason play in May 2021 while he was with Portland. Cam Johnson has totaled 25 points over two games since returning from a seven-game absence caused by a left calf strain. Trendon Watford turned 23 years old last Thursday.
A Dazzling Fact
Dorian Finney-Smith has been a huge asset from the perimeter for Brooklyn! He’s shooting 45.1 percent from beyond the arc, the highest total in the NBA among 22 players who have attempted at least 70 three-point shots. He’s also one of six players to have hit at least four treys in a game five times this season, putting him in a group that includes some of the most prolific scorers in basketball like Stephen Curry, Luka Dončić and Donovan Mitchell. In addition to watching DFS take aim from long range, visit the YES App or the Nets’ YouTube channel and check out ‘From Portsmouth to Brooklyn,’ an entry in a new docuseries by the Nets’ content team that chronicles Finney-Smith’s journey as a basketball player on and off the court.