The Brooklyn Nets get a quick chance to rewrite the script Wednesday night.
After dropping the opener to Charlotte, Brooklyn is back at Barclays Center with a shot to even the season series and shake off a rough start. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m., and the Nets come in at 1-6 after Monday night’s 103-90 loss to the New York Knicks.
That defeat stung because Brooklyn had just shown a little life the night before, beating the Indiana Pacers 98-90 on Sunday. Instead of building momentum, the Nets let it slip away at Madison Square Garden. They carried a four-point lead into the fourth quarter, then managed only 11 points over the final 12 minutes.
Michael Porter Jr. led Brooklyn with 18 points in the loss, while Julius Randle had 21 points and 11 rebounds for New York. Nolan Traoré continued to trend in the right direction offensively with 17 points, and Mikel Brown Jr. added 13 in his return to the lineup.
The Nets have had stretches where the offense looks sharp enough to hang around, but the issue has been keeping it together for a full game. That problem showed up again Monday, and it’s exactly the kind of thing Brooklyn can’t afford against a Charlotte team that has its own issues right now.
The Hornets arrive at 3-5 and riding a four-game losing streak. Their latest setback was a rough one: a 124-91 home loss to the Detroit Pistons on Monday night. Brandon Miller led Charlotte with 17 points, and Naz Reid added 13 points and six rebounds.
Charlotte also got Coby White back. White, who missed the start of the season with a calf injury suffered during the preseason, made his debut against Detroit and finished with seven points and three assists in 16 minutes. He also moved into the starting lineup, giving the Hornets another scoring and playmaking option as he works back into shape.
That matters for Brooklyn because White did not play in the season opener, when Charlotte beat the Nets 110-103 on opening night. The Hornets have a different look this time around, and Brooklyn will have to account for that.
The first meeting also exposed a couple of problems the Nets need to clean up. Brooklyn turned it over 22 times in that game and had trouble finishing possessions, which let Charlotte cash in on second chances. Head coach Jordi Fernández pointed to those two areas as the biggest reasons for the loss, and they remain central to the rematch.
Randle was huge in that opener, putting up 33 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists in his Nets debut. Porter added 26 points and five three-pointers, so Brooklyn got strong nights from its top two scorers but not enough from the rest of the group to close it out.
Wednesday offers a clean chance to do it differently. Traoré’s recent scoring uptick and Brown’s continued growth give Brooklyn some extra backcourt help, but the Nets still need Porter and Randle to set the tone early and avoid another empty stretch down the stretch.
Both teams are walking into this one looking for a reset. Charlotte wants to stop the skid. Brooklyn wants a better answer than the one it gave on opening night.
In Other News...
Nets May Be Catching A Hornets Scorer At The Worst Time
The Nets could be running into a healthier Hornets group at an inconvenient moment, with Kon Knueppel upgraded to probable for the upcoming matchup and in line to make his season debut after sitting out eight games with a left hamstring strain. Charlotte is also listing Coby White as probable as he works his way back from a left calf injury, a sign the Hornets may finally be getting a little more firepower back in the rotation.
For Brooklyn, the timing matters because Charlotte has been looking for answers on offense and the return of two key scorers could change the complexion of the game quickly. Even if the Hornets are still easing pieces back into action, the prospect of adding Knueppel and White gives them a different look than the one the Nets might have expected when this matchup first came into view. [Read more 🡒]
Nets Face A Rotation Concern In A Game They Need To Win
The Nets head into their matchup with Charlotte trying to steady a season that needs a win, but the roster is already thinning at the wrong time. Brooklyn announced that Egor Demin will miss the game because of a right leg bone bruise, a setback that adds another layer of uncertainty as the team looks to respond after a recent loss.
Brooklyn has also been shuffling personnel around the margins, with several players sent to the Long Island Nets as the organization manages its depth. Charlotte, meanwhile, is bringing back useful availability on its side, with Kon Knueppel and Coby White listed as probable, which only raises the stakes for a Nets group trying to keep pace while waiting on more clarity from its own injury situation. [Read more 🡒]
Nets Trade Deadline Could Reveal Their True Rebuild Plan
Brooklyns rebuild may be nearing a point where the front office has to decide whether to keep collecting pieces or swing for a more meaningful reset. Michael Porter Jr. has emerged as a name to watch in that conversation, with the Nets weighing whether a move could help accelerate the process and appeal to teams such as the Detroit Pistons or Orlando Magic.
What makes the deadline so intriguing is the range of directions Brooklyn could take if it does decide to move him. The possibilities being floated point to very different kinds of returns, from a high-end wing to a young developmental prospect, and each would say something about how the Nets view their timeline. For now, it is all speculative, but the next few weeks could offer the clearest sign yet of what this rebuild is really supposed to look like. [Read more 🡒]