Brooklyn Nets vs. San Antonio Spurs7:30 p.m., Barclays CenterTV: YES NetworkRadio: WFAN
While the news of Jeremy Lin’s re-aggravated hamstring injury was a disappointing development for the Brooklyn Nets, it didn’t change their game plan for the San Antonio Spurs.
Lin, who was announced to miss an additional three to five weeks, was already ruled out for Monday’s game – his 14th straight contest with a strained left hamstring.
“He’s been putting the work in to get back on the court, to have a setback like that it’s difficult,” Brook Lopez said at Monday’s shootaround. “We’ve rallied around him and we’re here to support him, we’re here for him. Obviously J Lin wants nothing more than to be there out on the court with us.”
That means Spencer Dinwiddie and Isaiah Whitehead will continue to split the duties at the one. Dinwiddie has started the Nets’ last five games, while Whitehead has started 23 games this season.
“As a personal opportunity it’s exciting, but nothing really changes,” Dinwiddie said. “I go out there, do what I’m told and try to run the offense, obviously try to get Brook the ball and win games. That’s the only thing that I’m really here to do, so that’s what I’m going to continue to try to do in the next three to five weeks.”
Dinwiddie is averaging five points, four assists, three rebounds and 25 minutes in his last five games. Whitehead is averaging 5.2 points, three assists and 2.5 rebounds in four games since returning from a sprained left knee. Whitehead has also gone without a turnover in two of his last four – an area of focus for the Nets’ rookie.
“I’ll value my minutes. The last couple of games I’ve focused on not trying to turn the ball over and not taking bad shots and lead the team as best I can, so I’ll just try to continue that,” Whitehead said. “Hopefully it’s three weeks and not the full five so we can get [Lin] back out there.”
Joe Harris (sprained ankle) will miss his second straight game.
Nets Looking To Get Back on Track:
The Nets busted out of an 11-game losing streak with a win on Friday night in New Orleans and almost followed it up with a comeback win in Charlotte on Saturday, but fell short. The Nets led 98-97 in the fourth quarter against the Hornets and took several positives out of the game, including a season-high 30 assists.
“Guys’ confidence and energy is very high,” Lopez said at shootaround. “We see when we put the right effort, it has to be effort and grind, make the dirty plays, get 50/50 balls that we’re going to give ourselves a chance. It obviously isn’t going to come easy.”
Spurs Still in NBA’s Elite:
Even without Tony Parker and Pau Gasol, the San Antonio Spurs present a formidable challenge for the Brooklyn Nets.
San Antonio is riding a three-game winning streak and is coming off a 118-115 OT win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday night. At 34-9, they boast the second-best record in the NBA, only trailing Golden State.
“The Spurs are still the Spurs, regardless of who’s hurt,” Dinwiddie said. “They are probably the Patriots of the NBA, a well-oiled machine and they keep on going. No matter who they plug in they are a great team. We just have to come out, execute, play hard, play aggressive and try to get them uncomfortable.”
The Spurs allow the second-fewest points in the NBA, averaging 98.9, but are still a top-10 offensive team in points-per-game (107.6 – 7th) and offensive rating (111.7 – 4th). The Spurs have scored 100+ points in 20 straight games, a streak that began with a 130-101 win over the Nets on Dec. 10.
And while San Antonio shares the ball to the tune of 24.5 assists-per-game, they play with one of the slowest paces in the league at 96.2, 27th in the league. That’s a contrast to the Nets’ leading-leading pace (104.2).
Offensively, Kawhi Leonard carries the load for the Spurs, averaging a team-high 25.5 ppg. Recently Leonard has taken his offense to another level, averaging 35.6 ppg over his last five games, including a career-high 41 points on Saturday vs. Cleveland.