Game Information
Golden State Warriors (25-4) vs Brooklyn Nets (7-20)
How to watch?
Date: Thursday December 21, 2016
Location: Barclays Center — Brooklyn, NY
Time: 4:30pm PST
TV: CSN Bay Area, TNT Radio: 95.7 THE GAME
Blog buddy: Nets Daily
Team Metrics Comparison
http://nba-teams.pointafter.com/compare/10-18/Golden-State-Warriors-vs-Brooklyn-Nets
The Golden State Warriors start their three-game road trip, and the first leg of their back-to-back, against the Brooklyn Nets. The Warriors are coming off a thirty point rout of the Utah Jazz at home and look to continue their impressive momentum into their highly-anticipated Christmas Day matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Nets have struggled so far this season, with a 7-20 record, losing eight of their last ten games.
The Nets are a franchise in the midst of a rebuild with young core of talent that might not make the playoffs, but can still challenge teams on a nightly basis, especially at the home. They notably beat the Los Angeles Clippers without Blake Griffin at home, behind a stellar performance from undrafted guard Sean Kilpatrick.
General Manager Sean Marks, formerly Director of Basketball Operations for the San Antonio Spurs and General Manager for the Austin Toros, tapped Kenny Atkinson as the coach during the summer of 2016. Both Marks and Atkinson are serving in their capacities for the first time for an NBA team.
Though the deck seems to be stacked against the Nets for this matchup, especially with a potential game-time decision on physical guard Isaiah Whitehead, the Warriors will certainly be looking ahead to their matchup against the Cavaliers and the second leg of their back-to-back against the Detroit Pistons.
The Nets can potentially capitalize on lackadaisical play from the Warriors, but it would take a confluence of factors to lead to a Brooklyn victory. One thing to look for will be if the Warriors chose to rest key players, especially in a back-to-back situation with a looming matchup agains the Cavaliers.
As of now, Chris McCullogh and Justin Hamilton are inactive for the Nets and James Michael McAdoo and Damian Jones are inactive for the Warriors, with Isaiah Whitehead remaining a game-time decision. Expect former-Warrior Jeremy Lin to start in place of Whitehead if the Seton Hall product does not suit for the game. This will be the first of two regular season matchups between these two clubs.
While the Nets pose a relatively small challenge for an engaged Warriors team, one of the matchups last year came down to a missed Brook Lopez go-ahead layup that would have prematurely ended the Warriors streak . In the NBA, players are talented enough to compete on any given night, and the Warriors should come out and completely crush them early in what is certain to be a Barclays Center filled with fans in blue and gold.