The Matchup: Brooklyn Nets (17-44) at Denver Nuggets (24-37)
Location: Pepsi Center – Denver, CO
Time: Friday, March 5 at 7 p.m. MT
How to Watch: Altitude
Betting Line (per Bovada): Nuggets by 5.5
Projected Starting Lineups:
Denver – PG Emmanuel Mudiay, SG Gary Harris, SF JaKarr Sampson, PF Kenneth Faried, C Nikola Jokic
Brooklyn – PG Donald Sloan, SG Wayne Ellington, SF Bojan Bogdanovic, PF Thaddeus Young, C Brook Lopez
The Nuggets will look to build some momentum on Friday night, when the lowly Brooklyn Nets come to town. Revenge will be on the mind for Denver, after losing a heartbreaker in Brooklyn to the Nets 105-104 early last month. Joe Johnson hit a three at the buzzer to seal the victory for the Nets in the team’s first meeting. Brooklyn won’t have the luxury of having Johnson’s late game heroics this time around, agreeing to a contract buyout with him recently, which led to his signing with the Miami Heat. The Nuggets will also be without their go-to guy, as forward Danilo Gallinari will miss his third straight game due to torn ligaments in his right ankle. Gallo finished with 24 points and seven assists in the first meeting with the Nets, hitting four three’s as well.
Defending the perimeter will be key for Denver, something they didn’t do well against the Nets back in the team’s first meeting. Brooklyn hit nine three-point shots and shot 47.4 percent from beyond the arc in that game. Bojan Bogdanovic is going to be Denver’s primary concern along the perimeter, as he’s shooting 37 percent from the three-point line this season. Since being inserted into the Nets starting line-up as the team’s small forward, Bogdanovic has averaged 17.3 points and 4.5 rebounds per game while shooting 45 percent from the field and 38 percent from beyond the arc. JaKarr Sampson will have the task at slowing down Bogdanovic, something he’s more than capable of doing.
The Nuggets will also need to play better in transition on both ends of the floor. Brooklyn outscored the Nuggets 13-6 in fast break points back in February, something Denver will look to change. Expect the Nuggets to look to run early, wearing down the Nets and zapping the energy from players like Lopez and Young. Emmanuel Mudiay and D.J. Augustin should have no trouble controlling the pace of this game for Denver, forcing Brooklyn to play at a frenetic pace.
Player to Watch: D.J. Augustin
Augustin has been a nice addition for Denver and is coming off his best game with the team. He finished with 26 points and five assists in Denver’s 117-107 win against the Lakers on Wednesday night. Augustin hit all nine of his free throw attempts in that game and shot a ridiculious 63.6 percent from the field. He’s brought efficiency and speed to the Nuggets second unit, something that was majorly missed with Jameer Nelson out. Augustin has averaged 13.0 points, 3.7 assists and 0.9 steals per game in seven games so far this season with Denver. He’s also shooting 48 percent from the field and 50 percent from the three-point line, since being traded to the Nuggets. He should have a field day against a weak Nets backcourt and a team’s who’s been eaten alive by point guards all year.
Neither one of these team’s is playing for much of anything at this point. Brooklyn has had the Nuggets number of late and should be a stingy opponent for Denver to get by once again. However, I think the Nuggets outpace the Nets this time out behind Mudiay and Augustin. I think Sampson will do a good job of forcing Bogdanovic to work for shots along the perimeter and help Denver notch their second straight home win.
Final Score Prediction: Nuggets 101, Nets 95