Brooklyn’s losing woes show no sign of abating as the Nets crashed to their second consecutive defeat with a stinging 125-118 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. The Nets simply had no answer for Lakers phenom D’Angelo Russell who scored a game-high 32 points. It was another disappointing result for the Nets who have now lost three of their last four games.
The Nets will look to end their losing rut when they face the Oklahoma City Thunder later tonight. For Brooklyn to pull off a major upset, it needs to improve on its play on the defensive end. In their last two losses, opponents have scored an average of 126 points. Both of those defeats have come on the road. The Nets have struggled mightily on their travels this season, going 1-5 away from home this campaign. They can ill afford such a defensive display against an Oklahoma City side that’s averaging 103.3 points per game this season.
With regards to their offense, the Nets are expected to ride the hot hand of Bojan Bogdanovic. He scored 29 points in that loss to Los Angeles, going 11-of-18 from the field. Also expected to contribute this Friday is big man Brook Lopez. He recorded his second double-double of the season against the Lakers, scoring 30 points and hauling in 10 rebounds. Lopez leads the Nets in scoring (20.6 PPG) this season.
The Nets are 3-2-1 ATS on the road this season. They are pegged at +40,000to win the 2017 NBA Championship.
The Oklahoma City Thunder finally snapped their four-game losing skid with a thrilling 105-103 victory over the Houston Rockets on Wednesday. Russell Westbrook starred for the Thunder in this win, scoring 30 points including a vicious left-handed jam over Clint Capela with 5.5 seconds left that all but sealed the win for Oklahoma City. Westbrook has been a vital cog in OKC’s success this season, leading the team not only in scoring (31.8 PPG), but also in assists (9.8 APG) and rebounds (9.5 RPG) as well.
He will look to replicate that incredible performance tonight when the Thunder take on the reeling Nets. They will be licking their chops at the prospect of facing a Nets side that is third-worst in the NBA in scoring defense, allowing 110.9 points per game this season. Westbrook, in particular, loves playing against Brooklyn. He averaged 27.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 10.0 assists in two meetings with the Nets last season.
The Thunder are 4-4 ATS at home this season. They are pegged at +5,000to win the 2017 NBA Championship.
