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Preview: Brooklyn Nets Hope To Upset Houston Rockets at Barclays Center

BROOKLYN – The Nets (19-35) face one of the biggest challenges of the season when they host the Rockets (38-13) at Barclays Center on Tuesday night.

Houston is one of the hottest teams in the NBA as it has won its last four games and is 8-2 in its past 10. Led by two MVP candidates in Chris Paul and James Harden, the Rockets are second in the league in scoring and first in three-pointers made per game at 15.6.

Brooklyn comes into this game looking to turn things around as it has only won three of its last 10 games and is on a two-game losing streak. Head coach Kenny Atkinson hopes his players will respond after a poor performance against Milwaukee. In the first matchup between these two teams earlier in the season, the Nets lost 117-103 -- a game that broke the NBA record for combined three-point attempts. 

“You’re talking about physicality, competitiveness, defensive competitiveness – that’s got to be our identity,” Atkinson said after Monday’s practice. “That’s been our identity and with the stinkers we’ve had, you lose a bit of identity. We’ve got to get that back. No. 1 above all is a competitive culture.”

Here’s Three Things to Watch for:

Can Brooklyn Get Back to Its Style of Play?

Atkinson admitted his frustration with his team straying away with the identity it set earlier in the season – high-paced on offense, gritty on defense. The head coach acknowledged injuries have been a factor and now that the team almost has a full roster, he’d like to see a renewed focus towards getting back to what worked well earlier in the season.

“We don’t like that we’ve slowed down a bit. We like playing at a high pace, getting high value shots, a good-paced offense helps us with that,” he said. “More than the pace, I’m concerned about our defensive effort.

“Like against Milwaukee, usually in those 20-point blowouts it’s your defense that lets you down so we’ve got to clean that up.”

Atkinson has called upon his veterans, DeMarre Carroll and Quincy Acy, to be more vocal in their leadership on the court.

“I think you can have positive leadership [from veterans],” Atkinson said. “It can be more striking from a player than it when it comes from me. More impactful, so I’d like to see more of that.”

Key Matchup: Harden vs. Allen Crabbe

Harden comes into this game after having one of the best weeks of his NBA career. He became the first player to have a 60-point triple-double against the Magic and won the Western Conference Player of the Week after averaging 34.7 points, 10.3 assists and six assists. So yeah, it won’t be easy for Crabbe and the Nets on Tuesday.

Crabbe remains inconsistent on the offensive end, but he makes key defensive plays every game. The 25-year-old is currently averaging 10.6 points on 37 percent shooting in his past five games.

“Harden and Paul are a two-headed monster,” Atkinson said. “You can compete at a high level and you could still have a lot of difficulties. So you could be really competitive and tough defensively and they could still put a 120 on you.”

He added, “I’d bet on our group reacting though. [Showing] a better representation of who we are.”

Can D’Angelo Russell Show Progress?

Russell fouled out after going 1-for-8 with three points and seven assists in the Nets’ 109-94 loss. While those numbers aren’t pretty, he actually was one of the team’s better players as he and Caris LeVert were tied for the highest Real Plus-Minus on the team at +3.

Atkinson has been taking a cautious approach with Russell, but he did reveal on Monday that eventual plan could be incorporating both Russell and Spencer Dinwiddie into the starting five.

“I do think when the minutes start building up, we’ll have to make a decision of what we’ll do there,” Atkinson said. “We’ll talk about if we’re going to start them together – are we going to have a dynamic duo?

“That discussion is down the line. I like that we’re building D’Angelo up, we’re not throwing him out there and saying ‘hey, we need to play 32 minutes.’ It’s a smart way of progressing.”

Russell has had some inconsistent performances since his return, but he’s shown flashes of his best in a few games. Against Houston, he has a chance to go up against a player he’s often been compared to in Harden. It should an entertaining matchup for fans at Barclays Center on Tuesday night.