NETS-NUGGETS II:
The Brooklyn Nets are in the Mile High City on Friday, as they look to get back in the win column against the Denver Nuggets. The Nets – who are 2-3 so far on their nine-game road trip – beat the Nuggets 105-104 at Barclays Center on Feb. 8 on Joe Johnson’s buzzer-beating three-pointer and are looking for the season sweep.
The Nets have won four straight games over the Nuggets, including their last two trips to Denver.
STARTING FIVE IN THE LAST FIVE:
The Nets have had a new-look starting five since Joe Johnson was waived. Five games in, here’s how the group is performing:
Brook Lopez – 23.0 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 1.2 bpg
Bojan Bogdanovic – 14.8 ppg, 34% from 3-point range
Wayne Ellington – 11.0 ppg, 47% from 3-point range, scored double-digits in four straight games
Donald Sloan – 11.6 ppg, 5.2 apg, scored double-digits in career-high five straight games
Thaddeus Young – 15.0 ppg, 10.6 rpg, 2.4 spg
The Nets are averaging 102.8 points in their last five games.
GALLINARI OUT:
The Nuggets will be without leading scorer Danilo Gallianari (19.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg) after the small forward suffered torn ligaments in his right ankle. The injury will keep Gallinari out of the lineup until late in the season and according to the Denver Post, the Nuggets are considering shutting him down for the year. Either way, he will not suit up against the Nets.
Will Barton (15.2 ppg) is Denver’s second-leading scorer, while Kenneth Faried (12.5 ppg, 8.7 rpg) will also be a factor when he’s on the floor. Faried had 22 points and 13 rebounds against the Nets earlier this season.
NUGGETS’ PLAYOFF HOPES FADING:
The Denver Nuggets’ playoff hopes are in jeopardy, as the Nuggets are six games back of the Houston Rockets for the final playoff spot with 21 games to play.
Including their loss to the Nets on Feb. 8, the Nuggets have lost six of their last nine games. The real dagger may have been a pair of losses to the Sacramento Kings, who have since leapfrogged Denver in the standings.
Every game is a must-win for Denver, but with leading scorer Danilo Gallianari out for the foreseeable future, making the playoffs will not be an easy task.