After Sunday night’s win in Memphis, the Brooklyn Nets visit the Houston Rockets on Monday night before bouncing over to Dallas as part of a two-game Texas swing.
With Allen Crabbe sidlelined due to a sore back, Joe Harris got his first start of the season as the Nets rolled out their ninth different starting lineup of the season.
Combined, Crabbe and Harris have led a 3-point shooting surge by the Nets over the last 10 days.
Entering their Nov. 17 game against the Utah Jazz at Barclays Center, the Nets were shooting 33.4 percent from 3-point range. Over their last five games, they’ve been connecting at a 39.8 clip, with Crabbe shooting 45.2 percent in four games and Harris shooting 41.2 percent in five games.
Harris went 4-for-8 on 3-point attempts while scoring 13 points in Sunday night’s 98-88 win and has scored in double figures in three straight games. Crabbe averaged 17.5 points in his last four games before being sidelined on Sunday night.
LEVERT BREAKS OUT
With D’Angelo Russell sidelined following knee surgery and Spencer Dinwiddie elevated to the starting lineup, second-year guard Caris LeVert has picked up significant minutes handling the ball behind Dinwiddie. It seems to be suiting him.
LeVert broke out of a shooting slump with a 15-point game against the Boston Celtics on Nov. 14, shooting 6-of-7 from the field and making both of his 3-point attempts. In the six games beginning that night, LeVert is averaging 11.7 points while shooting 52.8 percent from the field and 47.1 percent from 3-point range, with 3.3 assists per game.
BACK ON SATURDAY
The Nets return to Brooklyn to host the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday, Dec. 2. It’s the second game in Brooklyn this season for the Hawks, who lost 116-104 to the Nets on Oct. 22. The Nets follow with a return game in Atlanta next Monday.
AGAINST THE ROCKETS
The Nets attempt more 3-pointers than all but one team in the NBA. Tonight, they play No. 1. And it’s not close.
The Houston Rockets fire up a staggering 44.3 3-point attempts per game, making 35.9 percent and leading the NBA in total 3-pointers made, with 302. The Rockets get to the free throw line — fifth in the NBA with 25.3 free throw attempts per game — and they connect at an 81.3 percent rate when they get there, fourth in the league.
It adds up to 113.5 points per game, second in the league behind the Golden State Warriors. The Rockets are also second behind Golden State in offensive rating and net rating. Houston is 15-4, a game ahead of Golden State in the loss column for the top spot in the Western Conference.
James Harden leads the NBA in both points per game (31.4) and assists per game (9.8) while shooting 39.4 percent from 3-point range.
INJURY REPORT
Allen Crabbe and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson have both been ruled out for Monday night’s game against Houston. Crabbe missed Sunday night’s game with a sore lower back and Hollis-Jefferson left the game in the second quarter with a sprained ankle. DeMarre Carroll is listed as questionable with an upper respiratory issue.
Guard D’Angelo Russell will miss his seventh game since injuring his knee at Utah on Nov. 11. Russell (20.9), Hollis-Jefferson (14.3), Carroll (13.8) and Crabbe (12.4) are Brooklyn’s top four leading scorers.