INDIANA vs BROOKLYN
When: 2/10/2021 8:00 PM
Where: Brooklyn

TV: 8:00 PM
LINE:
PREDICTION: BROOKLYN , INDIANA

Oddsmakers currently have Brooklyn listed as 2.5 point favorites versus Indiana, while the game’s total is sitting at 234.5.

The Nets are 9-9 in Eastern Conference games. Brooklyn is 6-2 when it wins the turnover battle and averages 15.4 turnovers per game.

“It’s up to the team to decide what type of team they want to be, what they want to get out of this experience,” Nets coach Steve Nash said. “I think our team needs to challenge themselves and figure out who they want to represent together.”

The Pacers are 7-6 in Eastern Conference play. Indiana is seventh in the Eastern Conference scoring 113.1 points per game and is shooting 47.6%.

“We’re obviously a little frustrated with the last four or five games,” Indiana’s Doug McDermott said. “It hasn’t gone the way we wanted them to go, but we also know what we’re capable of, how we started this year. We know we have enough in that locker room to win games.”

The teams meet Wednesday for the first time this season.

TOP PERFORMERS:

James Harden is shooting 49.2% and averaging 23.7 points. Kyrie Irving is averaging 24 points and four rebounds while shooting 48.8% over the last 10 games for Brooklyn.

T.J. McConnell leads the Pacers averaging 6.7 assists while scoring 4.7 points per game. Malcolm Brogdon is averaging 20.5 points and 4.1 rebounds while shooting 42.7% over the last 10 games for Indiana.

LAST 10 GAMES:

Nets: 5-5, averaging 122.4 points, 40.8 rebounds, 28.1 assists, 5.6 steals and 5.7 blocks per game while shooting 50.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 122.5 points on 48.5% shooting.

Pacers: 4-6, averaging 113.4 points, 43.3 rebounds, 27.4 assists, 7.1 steals and 6.7 blocks per game while shooting 47.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 113.5 points on 45.6% shooting.

INJURIES:

Nets: Iman Shumpert: out (left hamstring), Spencer Dinwiddie: out for season (acl), Kevin Durant: out (health and safety protocols).

Pacers: Caris LeVert: out (kidney), TJ Warren: out (foot).

BOTTOM LINE: The Brooklyn Nets and the Indiana Pacers meet in a matchup of two of the top teams in the Eastern Conference.

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BROOKLYN vs DETROIT
When: 2/9/2021 7:00 PM
Where:

TV: 7:00 PM
LINE:
PREDICTION: DETROIT , BROOKLYN

Oddsmakers currently have Brooklyn listed as 7.5 point favorites versus Detroit, while the game’s total is sitting at 232.5.

Brooklyn Nets (14-11, third in the Eastern Conference) vs. Detroit Pistons (5-18, 15th in the Eastern Conference)

Detroit; Tuesday, 7 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Detroit enters the matchup with Brooklyn as losers of four in a row.

The Pistons are 3-10 against Eastern Conference opponents. Detroit gives up 113.7 points to opponents and has been outscored by 5.3 points per game.

The Nets are 9-8 in Eastern Conference play. Brooklyn ranks sixth in the league with 26.8 assists per game led by James Harden averaging 11.8.

The teams face off Tuesday for the first time this season.

TOP PERFORMERS: Jerami Grant ranks second on the Pistons with 2.5 made 3-pointers, and is averaging 24 points while shooting 38.9% from beyond the arc. Josh Jackson is averaging 1.6 made 3-pointers and 12.7 points over the last 10 games for Detroit.

Harden ranks third on the Nets averaging 23.6 points while adding 8.1 rebounds and 11.8 assists per game. Joe Harris is averaging 3.7 made 3-pointers and scoring 15.1 points over the last 10 games for Brooklyn.

LAST 10 GAMES: Pistons: 2-8, averaging 107.7 points, 43 rebounds, 22.8 assists, 7.4 steals and 5.1 blocks per game while shooting 43.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 113.7 points on 47.1% shooting.

Nets: 5-5, averaging 124.8 points, 42.6 rebounds, 28.1 assists, 5.6 steals and 6.2 blocks per game while shooting 50.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 125 points on 48.1% shooting.

INJURIES: Pistons: Killian Hayes: out (hip), Wayne Ellington: day to day (right calf), Jahlil Okafor: day to day (knee).

Nets: Nicolas Claxton: out (right knee), Spencer Dinwiddie: out for season (acl), Kyrie Irving: day to day (finger), Kevin Durant: out (health and safety protocols).

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BROOKLYN vs PHILADELPHIA
When: 2/6/2021 8:05 PM
Where:

TV: 8:05 PM
LINE:
PREDICTION: PHILADELPHIA , BROOKLYN

Oddsmakers currently have the PHILADELPHIA listed as point 4.5 favorites versus the BROOKLYN, while the game’s total is sitting at 236.5.

Brooklyn Nets (14-10, third in the Eastern Conference) vs. Philadelphia 76ers (16-7, first in the Eastern Conference)

Philadelphia; Saturday, 8 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Kevin Durant leads Brooklyn into a matchup against Philadelphia. He’s second in the NBA scoring 29.5 points per game.

The 76ers are 4-1 against the rest of their division. Philadelphia is 9-4 against opponents below .500.

The Nets are 3-1 against Atlantic Division opponents. Brooklyn is 2-6 when opponents grab more rebounds and averages 45.2 rebounds per game.

The teams meet for the second time this season. The Nets won 122-109 in the last matchup on Jan. 7. Joe Harris led Brooklyn with 28 points, and Shake Milton led Philadelphia with 24 points.

TOP PERFORMERS: Dwight Howard is third on the 76ers with 8.0 rebounds and averages 6 points. Danny Green is averaging 1.9 made 3-pointers and 8 points over the last 10 games for Philadelphia.

James Harden leads the Nets averaging 23.4 points and is adding 8.1 rebounds. Harris is averaging four made 3-pointers and scoring 15.7 points over the last 10 games for Brooklyn.

LAST 10 GAMES: 76ers: 7-3, averaging 112.8 points, 43.4 rebounds, 20.1 assists, 9.3 steals and 6.1 blocks per game while shooting 47.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 109.6 points on 45.9% shooting.

Nets: 6-4, averaging 126.5 points, 44.1 rebounds, 28.6 assists, 5.2 steals and 6.4 blocks per game while shooting 51.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 124.9 points on 47.3% shooting.

INJURIES: 76ers: Ben Simmons: day today (calf), Terrance Ferguson: out (health and safety protocols), Seth Curry: day to day (illness), Joel Embiid: day today (knee), Mike Scott: out (knee).

Nets: Nicolas Claxton: out (right knee), Spencer Dinwiddie: out for season (acl).

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LA CLIPPERS vs BROOKLYN
When: 2/2/2021 7:30 PM
Where:

TV: 7:30 PM
LINE:
PREDICTION: BROOKLYN , LA CLIPPERS

Oddsmakers currently have the BROOKLYN listed as 1.5 point favorites versus the LA CLIPPERS, while the game’s total is sitting at 244.5.

The Los Angeles Clippers and Brooklyn Nets possess plenty of stars and an abundance of offense. It is defensively where the differences lie between the teams.

The Clippers seek a fourth straight win and 11th in 12 games Tuesday night when their six-game road trip continues with a visit to the Nets, who are coming off one of their worst defensive showings of the season.

“I think everyone is looking forward to that matchup, this ball club, and the world,” Los Angeles star Paul George said. “Should be a great showdown.”

Los Angeles enters the nationally televised matchup with 16 wins in the first 21 games and is surging since starting 6-4. The Clippers are scoring 118.5 points in their past 11 games and allowing 104.4.

On Sunday the Clippers continued to roll when they posted a 129-115 win over the New York Knicks, who lead the NBA in scoring defense. The Clippers posted their sixth double-digit win of this stretch and equaled their third-highest point total of the season.

Kawhi Leonard scored 28 points and is averaging 29.8 points in his last five games since being held to 17 on Jan. 17 against Indiana. Leonard’s latest big day came on a day the Clippers shot 54.3 percent, marking the seventh time they shot at least 50 percent this season.

“We share the ball, we move it, we look for the open man and we emphasize passing up good shots for great ones,” George said. ” I think we’re doing a great job at that. We’re shooting them expecting to make them, and when we’re shooting great ones, we’re expecting to really hit them.”

Los Angeles recorded its latest win while playing without two starters. Patrick Beverley missed his fourth straight game with a sore right knee while Nicolas Batum was out with a left groin contusion.

Both may miss Tuesday’s game, meaning Patrick Patterson would start for Batum and Reggie Jackson would replace Beverley.

The Nets have ascended near the top of the East by winning six of nine games since acquiring James Harden to join forces with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. The trio has displayed more than enough offense as the Nets are averaging 127.3 since Harden’s debut on Jan. 16, but their defense is allowing 124.6 points.

On Sunday, the Nets took a stunning 149-146 loss at Washington after allowing 3-pointers by Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook in the final seconds. Westbrook’s 3-pointer marked only the second time the Nets trailed and came after an errant inbounds pass by Joe Harris.

The Nets allowed the Wizards to shoot 51.9 percent, the second-highest opposing field goal percentage allowed by Brooklyn this season. The Nets also allowed 108 shots, representing a season-high for a regulation game.

It also was the third time the Nets allowed at least 140 points and the 10th time they allowed at least 120.

Kevin Durant scored 37 points while Harris matched his career-high with 30 points and Kyrie Irving finished with 26, but the Nets allowed 48 points in the fourth quarter and could not expand on an early 18-point lead.

“We had that game,” Irving said after the Nets fell to 9-2 when shooting at least 50 percent. “It should’ve been ours. So we just look at ourselves in the mirror and see what we can correct as individuals and as a group, especially on effort. I couldn’t guard a stick today.”

The Nets played Sunday without Harden, who missed his first game with a left thigh contusion. The injury does not appear serious and Harden is expected to play Tuesday.

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BROOKLYN vs WASHINGTON
When: 1/31/2021 7:00 PM
Where:

TV: 7:00 PM
LINE: 7.5
PREDICTION: WASHINGTON , BROOKLYN

Oddsmakers currently have the WASHINGTON listed as 7.5 point favorites versus the BROOKLYN, while the game’s total is sitting at 244.

The Brooklyn Nets rested Kevin Durant Friday and were still good enough to match a franchise record for points scored in a regulation game.

Brooklyn hopes to keep the productive offense going and extend its winning streak to a season-high five games Sunday night when it visits the Washington Wizards.

The Nets are on their second four-game winning streak of the season after getting a 147-125 win at Oklahoma City when Durant was rested. Brooklyn also won four straight Jan. 12-18 before dropping consecutive games in Cleveland. They are averaging 126.2 points during this streak.

Friday’s win matched the record for most points in a regulation game that was set in a 147-132 win at Detroit on April 17, 1982, and the offensive output was achieved without anyone scoring more than 25 points. Kyrie Irving totaled 25 points and seven assists while James Harden had 25 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds for his third triple-double since joining Brooklyn in a blockbuster trade from Houston on Jan. 14.

“They were both incredible,” Nets coach Steve Nash said. “James manages the game so well, spreads the floor, scores, assists, rebounds, gets his hands on balls defensively. Kyrie was just incredible shotmaking. He’s able to make amazing plays with the basketball and it’s such a threat out there.”

Durant is returning after scoring 32 points in 42 minutes in Wednesday’s 132-128 overtime win in Atlanta. He is averaging 30.5 points and has scored at least 30 points in seven of his past nine games since missing a potential game-winning shot in Brooklyn’s 123-122 home loss to Washington on Jan. 3.

“He’s played a lot of minutes, played an overtime game and it was a decision to protect him tonight,” Nash said.

Washington has dropped seven of eight since Thomas Bryant’s game-winning dunk beat Brooklyn in the first meeting. Bryant was lost for the season with a torn ACL a week after his dunk. and the Wizards had six games postponed due to COVID-19 protocols.

Since returning from a nearly two-week absence, the Wizards have dropped four straight, losing those games by an average of 18.25 points. The Wizards returned home from a three-game road trip Friday and shot a season-low 36.5 percent in a 116-100 loss to the Atlanta Hawks in a game that saw the Wizards pile up six technical fouls and the ejections of Russell Westbrook in the fourth quarter and Robin Lopez in the third.

“We’re not going to give up,” Wizards coach Scott Brooks said. “We’re going to keep fighting and we will turn it around. And when we do turn it around, it’s going to be a great feeling to say that we turned around a very unique, a first time (situation) that hopefully never happens again.”

Bradley Beal scored a season-low 26 points Friday after getting 47 Wednesday in New Orleans. He is averaging 36.7 points in his past nine games, a stretch that includes a 60-point game in Philadelphia on Jan. 6. Beal has scored at least 26 points in each of his 14 games this season and scored at least 20 in his past 37 games dating to last season.

“We understand that nobody’s going to feel sorry for us,” Beal said. “We don’t want that. We’ve gotta dig ourselves out of this hole.”

The Wizards are gradually getting players back from health and safety protocols. Rui Hachimura, Davis Bertans and Moritz Wagner were a combined 3-of-16 from the field in their returns on Friday, and Brooks said rookie Deni Avdija, Troy Brown Jr. and Ish Smith are expected to play Sunday.

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MILWAUKEE vs BROOKLYN
When: 1/18/2021 7:30 PM
Where:

TV: 7:30 PM
LINE: 2.5
PREDICTION: BROOKLYN , MILWAUKEE

Oddsmakers currently have the BROOKLYN listed as 2.5 point favorites versus the MILWAUKEE, while the game’s total is sitting at 240.

As far as debuts go, James Harden experienced one with the Brooklyn Nets that will be remembered for some time.

After getting a triple-double in his first game with the Nets, Harden has fans curious if he can produce an impressive sequel Monday night when the Milwaukee Bucks visit Brooklyn for a nationally televised contest between teams many think will meet in the Eastern Conference finals.

Harden made his debut Saturday when the Nets posted a 122-115 victory over the Orlando Magic to get their season-high third straight win. While Kevin Durant scored a season-high 42 points, it was Harden’s performance that had the NBA buzzing.

Two days after the Nets officially acquired him from Houston in a massive deal that cost them Jarrett Allen and Caris LeVert, Harden started slowly and wound up with 32 points, 14 assists, and 12 rebounds in 40 minutes.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, his 14 assists broke the franchise record set by Kevin Porter in 1977 for most assists in a Nets debut. Harden posted his 47th career triple-double and became the seventh player to get a triple-double in his debut with a new team.

“Man it was incredible,” Durant said. “You could see him trying to figure out the best way to play. Early on I felt like we were all overpassing, trying to make everybody comfortable. Then he just got into his mode of being aggressive to score and that opened up the whole game for all of us.”

Harden’s dynamic performance came in a game where the Nets shot 53.8 percent and hit 16 3-pointers. It also came as Kyrie Irving missed his sixth straight game due to personal reasons and health and safety protocols.

It is unclear when Irving will return but it is unlikely to occur Monday, marking the third nationally televised game he has missed. The Nets are 4-3 without Irving this season, while Durant is averaging 34.5 points in four games since returning from missing three games due to protocols.

“Hopefully, we’re close. I can’t really give you a firm update on that. We have to assess that as we go,” coach Steve Nash said of Irving. “We do want to make sure he ramps accordingly so that he’s not susceptible to unnecessary injury and protect him the best we can. But hopefully, it will be a short period of time. That is to be determined, though.”

Milwaukee is on a four-game winning streak with three of those of wins coming by 10 points or fewer. The Bucks also are 7-1 in their past eight games, a stretch where they are averaging 119 points per game.

Milwaukee heads to Brooklyn after getting a 112-109 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Friday. Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 31 points on 14-of-21 shooting but also missed nine of his 10 free throws.

Antetokounmpo is averaging 26.6 points so far but is shooting a career-worst 57.5 percent from the line.

Khris Middleton added 25 points and hit two clutch 3-pointers in the final two-plus minutes after Milwaukee squandered a 14-point lead.

“He’s just a great decision-maker,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said of Middleton. “He knows to take what the defense gives him. If he’s got a shot, he’s an incredible shot-maker, but he’s an incredible playmaker. He’s just a great finisher.”

Milwaukee is 14-3 in the past 17 meetings and has won the past eight meetings in Brooklyn.

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WASHINGTON vs BROOKLYN
When: 1/3/2021 6:05 PM
Where:

TV: 6:05 PM
LINE: -8.5
PREDICTION: BROOKLYN , WASHINGTON

Oddsmakers currently have the BROOKLYN listed as -8.5 point favorites versus the WASHINGTON, while the game’s total is sitting at 242.5.

Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant spent nearly a decade as teammates with the Oklahoma City Thunder and now they are playing prominent roles in relatively new situations on two teams coming off starkly different results.

While Westbrook’s Washington Wizards are coming off their finest outing of the young season, Durant’s Brooklyn Nets are coming off their worst game of the season heading into Sunday’s meeting in Brooklyn.

Westbrook and Durant teamed up from 2008-16, a stretch in which the Thunder lost the NBA Finals in five games to Miami in 2012 and reached the Western Conference finals three other times. The pairing ended in 2016 when Durant signed with Golden State and won two championships before signing with the Nets in 2019.

Westbrook remained in Oklahoma City for three more seasons but the Thunder could not get out of the first round and he was traded to Houston for Chris Paul. After one season in Houston, he joined Washington in a trade for John Wall.

So far the individual numbers are strong for both heading into the ninth head-to-head meeting between the former teammates.

Westbrook is averaging a triple-double with 19.8 points, 12.8 rebounds and 12.3 rebounds in four games while Durant is averaging 28.2 points and shooting 51 percent in his first five games with the Nets.

Westbrook was rested for the second time this season Friday when the Wizards ended a five-game losing streak and cruised to their first win. In Friday’s 130-109 rout at Minnesota, Bradley Beal scored 31 points to lead eight players in double figures as the Wizards shot 55 percent and hit 16 3-pointers.

“The energy’s totally different; it’s just positive,” Beal said. “It’s uplifting. It’s like a weight off your shoulders in a way, but it’s even better to know we played the right way and played the way we know we’re capable of playing.”

Beal enters Sunday averaging a career-best 31.2 points on 48 percent shooting and has three 30-point games so far. He has topped at least 25 points in 28 of his last 29 games going back to last season and his six straight games with at least 25 to start this season are a team record.

Durant scored 28 points but the Nets turned in their worst showing of the season with Friday’s 114-96 loss to Atlanta. Durant has scored at least 25 points in four straight games and the latest one occurred two nights after Brooklyn scored 145 points on Atlanta on 54 percent shooting

This time, the Nets missed their first 11 3-pointers, 30 of 37 3-point tries overall, shot a season-worst 40.7 percent and saw Kyrie Irving hit just 6 of 21 shots. It marked their third loss in four games since cruising to blowout wins over Golden State and Boston and each loss has seen them shoot 42 percent or less.

“We just got away from our principles,” Brooklyn’s Jeff Green said. “We allowed them to space us out a little bit more, which allowed them to get in the lane a lot. We got away from helping each other from being in the paint and being aware of the personnel. It got away from us tonight. It’s one out of many. We just got to find a way to get better from this.”

Washington won the first two meetings last season before Brooklyn posted a 118-110 victory in the Orlando bubble on Aug. 2 when Caris LeVert scored 34 points in a game Beal did not play in.

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ATLANTA vs BROOKLYN
When: 1/1/2021 7:30 PM
Where:

TV: 7:30 PM
LINE: -6
PREDICTION: BROOKLYN , ATLANTA

Oddsmakers currently have the BROOKLYN listed as -6 point favorites versus the ATLANTA, while the game’s total is sitting at 246.

It may be difficult to achieve what the offenses of the Atlanta Hawks and Brooklyn Nets showcased Wednesday.

And coaches Lloyd Pierce and Steve Nash are probably hoping to avoid seeing their defenses give up over 140 points again.

But two nights after one of the highest-scoring NBA games in recent seasons, the teams get together again when the Hawks visit the Nets on Friday night.

Both teams enter their second meeting among the highest-scoring teams in the league after Brooklyn emerged with a 145-141 win Wednesday. Pierce’s Hawks are averaging 128.8 points per game while Brooklyn is averaging 121.6 five games into Nash’s tenure.

The teams combined for 286 points, well behind the all-time record of 370 combined points set in Detroit’s 186-184 win at Denver on Dec. 13, 1983. It also was the latest high-scoring game between the teams after Atlanta scored 141 on Brooklyn in a 23-point home win Feb. 28. Brooklyn also got 144 on the Hawks in a 17-point win on Dec. 16, 2018.

On Wednesday, the Nets entered the game as the league’s top defense after not allowing more than 116 points in the first four games. They allowed a 41-point first quarter, 18 3-pointers and allowed the Hawks to shoot 47.5 percent.

“We came in No. 1 defensively,” Nash said after quipping he needed a beer. “That went out the window. They have a ton of shooters playing with confidence. It was a new challenge. We have to get better at that end of the floor.”

The difference came down to the fourth quarter when the Nets saw Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving combine for 33 of their 43 points. Durant flirted with a triple-double by totaling 33 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists while Irving scored 17 of his 25 in the fourth after missing 13 of his first 16 shots.

The duo has scored at least 20 points in the four games they have played and enter Friday among the NBA’s scoring leaders by each averaging 28.3 points.

“Their names speak for themselves,” Brooklyn center Jarrett Allen said. “The names speak for themselves. When it gets to crunch time, we know where the ball needs to go and they proved why.”

The Hawks are hoping the fourth quarter goes differently this time after scoring their most points in regulation in team history and getting 30 points apiece from Trae Young and John Collins. It occurred after the Hawks allowed an average of 112 points in their first three wins.

Ultimately those performances were done in by Atlanta allowing Brooklyn to 64 percent in the fourth and an offense that was unable to keep pace by shooting 42 percent when Young and Collins combined for 18 of their 37 points.

“We know we can beat this team,” said Pierce, who was a college teammate of Nash at Santa Clara.

“We’ve got to learn to execute. We’ve got to learn to finish down the stretch, we’ve got to put together a defensive fourth quarter. This is what finishing is about execution on both sides of the basketball.”

Atlanta’s fourth-quarter fade denied the Hawks their first 4-0 start since opening 2010-11 with six straight wins and dropped them to 2-13 in the past 15 meetings with Brooklyn.

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ATLANTA vs BROOKLYN
When: 12/30/2020 7:35 PM
Where:

TV: 7:35 PM
LINE: -6.5
PREDICTION: BROOKLYN , ATLANTA

Oddsmakers currently have the BROOKLYN listed as -6.5 point favorites versus the ATLANTA, while the game’s total is sitting at 240.5.

The Atlanta Hawks revamped their roster with the idea of giving star Trae Young more support and winning more consistently.

Although the Hawks have not been at full health, their offense is humming and they’ll attempt to improve to 4-0 Wednesday night when they visit the Brooklyn Nets for the first of two consecutive games.

The Hawks and Nets also will meet Friday.

Atlanta missed the playoffs for the third straight season when it finished 20-47 while Young increased his scoring average from his rookie season from 19.1 points to 29.6. When free agency began, the Hawks were among the more aggressive teams, adding Bogdan Bogdanovic, Rajon Rondo, and Danilo Gallinari to join Young and Clint Capela, who was acquired from Houston at last season’s trade deadline.

The Hawks have not been complete yet because Rondo and Capela did not make their debuts until Monday’s 128-120 win over Detroit, and Gallinari (left foot contusion) played 24 minutes in the season opener last Wednesday before sitting for the next two contests.

Even without full health, the Hawks are off their first 3-0 start since 2016-17 and seeking their first 4-0 start since starting 2010-11 with six straight wins. They’re averaging 124.7 points, shooting 48.2 percent and 41.6 percent from 3-point range.

Most of the offense is being supplied by Young, who is averaging 34 points on 53.1 percent shooting and 42.1 percent from 3-point range. He scored 29 points Monday when Atlanta shot 48.8 percent and hit 20 3-pointers

“Being 3-0 is great for us and for me it’s all about taking it one game at a time,” Young said. “We’re going up to Brooklyn to play a really good team and we need to bring the same energy and effort. I’m super excited about this team. Just need to get everyone healthy and it’ll be fun.”

The Nets opened the season impressively by getting big games from stars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in nationally televised blowout wins over Golden State and Boston.

Brooklyn has followed up those wins with a two-point loss at Charlotte on Sunday followed by a 116-111 overtime loss at home to Memphis on Monday.

Brooklyn played Monday after learning Spencer Dinwiddie would be lost for the season due to a knee injury. The Nets also rested Durant and Irving for the first time this season after the duo played 95 minutes apiece in the first three games.

Both are expected to play Wednesday and will attempt to get at least 20 points for the fourth straight game. Irving is averaging 29.3 points on 61.1 percent shooting while Durant is averaging 26.7 points on 53.2 percent shooting.

Without the duo out on Monday, Caris LeVert led the Nets with 28 points and 11 assists, although he missed a potential game-winning 3-pointer just before regulation ended.

“Obviously, we’re so early in the season, but again you definitely don’t want to drop games, especially like this, regardless of being short-handed whatever it is,” Brooklyn forward Joe Harris said. “We’re still trying to play the right way, we’re still trying to take steps in the right direction. And overall, the compete level was pretty high. We didn’t shoot particularly well. We haven’t particularly shot well the last couple of games, but I thought we competed better than we did against Charlotte.”

The Nets took three of four meetings last season from Atlanta and are 12-2 in the past 14 meetings. Young scored 47 in his only visit to Brooklyn when the Nets posted a 122-112 win on Dec. 21, 2019.

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MEMPHIS vs BROOKLYN
When: 12/28/2020 7:30 PM
Where:

TV: 7:30 PM
LINE:
PREDICTION: BROOKLYN , MEMPHIS

Oddsmakers currently have the BROOKLYN listed as point favorites versus the MEMPHIS, while the game’s total is sitting at .

Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving put together another dynamic scoring display, but for the first time in the young NBA season, it did not result in a win for the Brooklyn Nets.

The Nets will attempt to bounce back from their first loss Monday night when they host the Memphis Grizzlies in the back end of their first back-to-back games.

Brooklyn began the Durant and Irving era by posting consecutive blowout wins over the Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics, becoming the first team since the 2008-09 Los Angeles Lakers to win its first two games by at least 20 points.

On Sunday, the Nets got another big night from the duo but wound up taking their first loss when their comeback from a 16-point deficit fell short in a 106-104 loss at Charlotte. Durant scored 29 but missed a game-tying fadeaway with seven seconds remaining while Irving finished with 25.

“It’s a long season and a long process, less than 30 days in here,” Nets coach Steve Nash said. “We’re still trying to find ourselves and figure out who we are. They’ve been exceptional thus far with their effort, their engagement. They’ve been exceptional with their effort, and tonight was a little bit of a letdown, but that’s going to happen. When you’re playing basketball, almost every time you can’t be perfect every time.”

Durant and Irving are the first duo in franchise history to score at least 20 points in each of the team’s first three games. It is possible Durant or Irving could sit out Monday due to the back-to-back and the fact that both are coming off injuries, but any decisions likely will be made Monday.

Whatever lineup the Nets use, it is unlikely Spencer Dinwiddie will play Monday. Dinwiddie strained his right knee early in the third quarter making a pass to Durant and did not return, but the Nets did not know the extent of his injury after Sunday’s loss.

One area the Nets hope to correct is controlling the paint. After allowing under 40 percent shooting in its first two games, Brooklyn was outscored 64-26 in the paint against Charlotte.

Memphis heads to Brooklyn after allowing 126.5 points in double-digit home losses to the San Antonio Spurs and Atlanta Hawks. The Grizzlies hope to avoid their first 0-3 start since dropping the first four games of the 2004-05 season.

The Grizzlies are winless despite two big games from Ja Morant, who is averaging 36 points. He scored 44 in Wednesday’s 131-119 loss to San Antonio and followed it with 28 in Saturday’s 122-112 loss to Atlanta, when the Grizzlies were outscored 19-9 in the final 5:03.

Although Morant is off to a strong start offensively, he is getting frustrated by a lack of calls from officials. His frustration earned him a technical foul in the fourth quarter Saturday during a game in which he took four free throws.

“It’s my second year,” Morant said. “I let a lot of stuff slide, but I’m not going for that no more. Everybody who knows me, knows I’m always smiling, laughing, and when somebody gets fed up, that’s what happens.”

Memphis swept the series from the Nets last season, getting a 134-133 overtime home win on Oct. 27, 2019, and a 118-79 rout in Brooklyn on March 4.

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