Alphabet and Joe Johnson
Get ready for a really, really bad game. The Brooklyn Nets (9-19) host the worst team in the NBA, the Milwaukee Bucks (6-22) Friday night in Brooklyn. The Nets are coming off an embarrassing Christmas day loss to the Bulls, who were without Derrick Rose and Luol Deng. The Nets were blown out in that game and they have lost 4 games in a row. The Bucks haven’t played since Monday, an overtime loss to the Bobcats. They have lost 6 of their past 7 games.
I still think that rock bottom for the Nets was their 30-point loss at home to Manhattan, but if they lose this game, that will come pretty close to topping (or bottoming) that. In my opinion, the Nets are the worst team in the NBA right now, which is pretty unbelievable considering that they were picked by some to win 60 games this year.
Injuries: The Bucks have plenty of injuries. Carlos Delfino, Gary Neal, and Zaza Pachulia are all out. However, Larry Sanders is finally expected to return off Milwaukee’s bench. He has not played since early November. Ersan Ilyasova has missed the last week, but is expected to play. For the Nets, Brook Lopez is out for the season. Andrei Kirilenko was expected to finally play in this game after not playing since early November, but was ruled out for this game and probably won’t travel with the team on their upcoming road trip. He can’t seem to get healthy.
Key matchups:
Deron Williams vs. Brandon Knight. Advantage: Williams
I have been extremely disappointed with Deron Williams this season. He is coming off another snoozer game on Christmas and has not been a good leader at all for this team. Knight has played well lately, scoring at least 17 points in his last 4 games and is also averaging close to 5 rebounds and assists this year.
Joe Johnson vs. O.J. Mayo. Advantage: Johnson
Mayo may not start for Milwaukee. Giannis Antetokounmpo (nicknamed Alphabet) could start in his place. Mayo doesn’t seem to have a role on any NBA team he plays on, but can still score 20 any night. Joe Johnson is coming off one of his worst games of the season on Christmas. I just hope he’s not injured.
Alan Anderson vs. Kris Middleton. Advantage: Middleton (?)
Middleton will probably start for the Bucks. He has scored in double figures in 5 straight games and is averaging 12 ppg this year. Anderson is still starting for the Nets, but they really need more from Paul Pierce off the bench.
Mirza Teletovic vs. Ekpe Udoh. Advantage: Udoh (?)
Milwaukee’s front court is very crowded and John Henson may also start at power forward. Mirza was one of the better Nets on Christmas, but that is not saying very much because every player was quite horrible. He seems to have found a place for himself as a starter on this team.
Kevin Garnett vs. Ersan Ilyasova. Advantage: Ilyasova
Ilyasova has missed a handful of games this year, but when he has played, he has probably been better than Kevin Garnett. He has also always been a Nets killer and always seems to hit big 3’s against the Nets. Garnett should just retire already. He needs to take off those headphones and realize that he’s not good enough to be in the NBA anymore.
Bold prediction: This game will be as ugly as we all expect. This could be one of the worst games of the season. Expect plenty of boos.
Score prediction: Bucks 104, Nets 95. The Nets are horrible and the Bucks are horrible. The difference is that the Bucks care more, somehow. I can’t see the Nets beating the team with the worst record in the NBA.