Brooklyn Nets: 3 things to watch in a matinee with Minnesota

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2. Allen with another big-time matchup

So with all this talk around the NBA about how the classic big man is dying and the game is all wing players and guards in a position-less system, the Brooklyn Nets seem to keep running into All-Star caliber bigs every single night.

This time, it’s Karl-Anthony Towns — an All-Star last season. Towns rocked the Nets for a 20-20 game in their last meeting, 25 points and 21 boards, but the Nets were without starting center Jarrett Allen, who was down with an illness.

Allen is set to start for the first time in his brief career against Minnesota after putting up 16 points, eight rebounds and two blocks in 35 minutes in two relief appearances last season.

He was 7-for-9 from the floor in those two games.

Towns is in his fourth season in the NBA, while Allen is in his second. Towns is averaging 20.0 points, 11.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.8 blocks in 33.6 minutes per game while shooting a solid .483/.425/.902.

But he’s also turning the ball over 3.7 times per game — worst on the club and tied for third-most in the NBA with a pair of lead guards who handle the rock a lot more than Towns does.

Towns turned it over 10 times the last time Minnesota faces Brooklyn on Nov. 12.

Allen will be looking for a bounce-back game after a frustrating outing Wednesday night at Dallas, in which he picked up two lightning-fast fouls, sat most of the first quarter, and never really found his rhythm while finishing six points and six rebounds in 26 minutes.

Towns has solid low-post skills, but prefers to face up and shoot rather than back in and dance, so that could help Allen stay out of foul trouble. That factor could be even more critical Friday with Ed Davis questionable with a sprained left ankle and very little big man depth behind him.