Brooklyn Nets continue West Coast swing vs Clippers: Preview and Prediction

(Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
(Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)

The Brooklyn Nets have been playing better as of late. They had the lead late, but lost in overtime to the  Sacramento Kings. The Nets are in Hollywood on Sunday to face the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Brooklyn Nets had good contributions from Allen Crabbe, DeMarre Carroll, and D’Angelo Russell on Thursday against the Kings. Crabbe hit six three pointers, while Carroll had 22 points and 10 rebounds on a very efficient night from the field. Russell had a double-double as well with 11 assists.

Rookie center Jarrett Allen continued his success in a starters role, with 15 points and 13 rebounds and three blocks. In 13 games as a starter Allen is averaging 13.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game. That being said he did have six turnovers, and Russell had five against the Kings. The Nets as a team had 21 turnovers, and will look to clean those up moving forward. You can’t give any team in the NBA that many extra possessions and expect to win games.

The last time the Nets and Clippers was on February 12th, in Brooklyn. The Nets lost the game 114-101 but it wasn’t particularly close. On that night, the Clippers had a fantastic balanced attack, with seven players in double figures. Distributed scoring is what one can expect from a Los Angeles squad that has lost both Chris Paul and Blake Griffin this season.

Brooklyn had a tough night from three point territory, which stagnates the offense given the amounts of shots they normally put up from range. That being said, the Nets have done a better job of driving and scoring in the paint the past few games, and will look to continue that against the Clippers who are tough down low.

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Player to Watch

The Nets offense will run through D’Angelo Russell in this game. The young guard looks to have found his form recently after a prolonged absence. His last five games include a line of 16.6/7.8 with improved shooting percentages. If  he can keep the turnovers to a minimum as the Post’s Brian Lewis writes, the Nets will be successful, and the sky is his limit.

Prediction

The Clippers are fighting for playoff position, currently half a game out of the eight seed in the west, and are coming off a drubbing of the New York Knicks. The Brooklyn Nets have been playing better of late though, and this feels like a game that they could sneak a win out of. Brooklyn wins at the buzzer, 112-111.

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