PHILADELPHIA – Five days after being on the end of a 120-97 humbling defeat at Barclays Center, the Nets have a chance to get a bit of revenge against the Sixers at the Wells Fargo Center on Friday night. Despite Monday’s loss to Philadelphia, Brooklyn actually has a chance to take lead in its season series against Friday’s opponents due to its win on Jan. 31.
Game Info: Nets at Sixers, 7:00 p.m. ET (TV: YES, Radio: WFAN)
Here’s What to Watch For:
Will Spencer Dinwiddie get back to his best?
Dinwiddie was one of the best stories of the NBA before the All-Star break as the 24-year-old proved he could be an effective starter in the league after a well-documented journey around the league.
Since the break, however, Dinwiddie has struggled offensively. After averaging 14.9 points per game in February, he is averaging just 8.8 points per game in March – shooting 15 percent from downtown. It hasn’t been all bad as Dinwiddie still leads the league in assist-to-turnover ratio, but he acknowledged he has to do better to help the Nets get wins.
“I’ve just got to do better. When we’ve lost games this year, I’ve lost my defensive matchup or haven’t played well offensively or something else,” Dinwiddie said on Thursday at the HSS Training Center. “For us to win games, I have to do better. Right now we’re struggling, and the drives and the aggressiveness are one of the reasons, so I’ve got to do better.”
Jarrett is Back
Jarrett Allen was sidelined with a sore left foot against the Raptors and his presence on both sides of the floor was missed. According to ESPN, Allen has the highest Player Efficiency Rating on the Nets, ranked at 67 in the NBA with a 17.89. That’s higher than some well-established stars in the league, including the Celtics’ Al Horford or the Trail Blazers’ CJ McCollum. The 19-year-old rookie is averaging 12 points, 6.8 rebounds while shooting 63.8 percent as a starter.
Allen admits it was tough to sit out against the Raptors, but he believes he got a different perspective by watching Brooklyn play from the bench.
“I’d say you see things differently,” Allen explained. “You normally don’t see it from that perspective, I mean you sit on the bench [during games], but [in this situation], you’re almost getting the coaches’ perspective…I picked up a couple of things.”
Key quote:
Kenny Atkinson on D’Angelo Russell’s hot streak: “Less off the dribble, contested ones. Trust the catch-and-shoot. Higher percentage shot for him. He’s a heck of a shooter. I think part of that too is taking better shots. He’s definitely taking better ones I think.”
Tom Dowd contributed reporting from HSS Training Center on Thursday.