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The Denver Nuggets and Brooklyn Nets will square off at Ball Arena in an inter-conference matchup on Saturday night. The Nets won the only other encounter between the two sides this season.
Match Details
Fixture: Brooklyn Nets vs Denver Nuggets | NBA Season 2020-21
Date & Time: Saturday, May 8th, 10 PM ET (Sunday, 7:30 AM IST)
Venue: Ball Arena, Denver, CO
Brooklyn Nets Preview
The Brooklyn Nets have struggled to perform well on their current road trip. The Nets have lost four straight games, two of which were against the Milwaukee Bucks. They've slipped to the third seed in the Eastern Conference as a result, despite having the same 43-24 record as the Bucks.
Defense has been a problem for the Brooklyn Nets, who have conceded 120.5 points on average during their ongoing losing streak. Team chemistry has been lacking as well, with players continuously slotting in and out of the lineup due to injuries.
Kevin Durant, who's been uber reliable despite so many injury absences, suffered from the field against the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday. Durant finished with 20 points but went 1-of-10 from the field in the second half. KD had 34 points, 13 assists and nine rebounds in the last matchup between the Brooklyn Nets and Denver Nuggets. He'll try to replicate these numbers on Saturday.
Key Player - Kyrie Irving
Kyrie Irving has been in formidable touch during the Brooklyn Nets' ongoing winless run. He's averaged 32.8 points on almost 50-40-90 shooting splits along with 4.5 assists and 2.5 steals through these four games. Irving even recorded a season-high 45 points against Dallas on Thursday. He didn't play in the previous game against the Denver Nuggets and will be hoping to catch them off-guard on Saturday.
Brooklyn Nets Predicted Lineup
G Kyrie Irving, G Landry Shamet, F Jeff Green, F Kevin Durant, C Blake Griffin
Denver Nuggets Preview
The Denver Nuggets failed to reclaim the third-seed in the West following a close loss to the Utah Jazz last night. The Nuggets are missing several players due to injuries, but have still managed to win 10 of their last 13 games. The matchup against the Brooklyn Nets will be their final home game of the regular season.
Michael Porter Jr. has stepped up massively for the Denver Nuggets of late. He has averaged 24.8 points on 56.6% shooting in 13 games since Jamal Murray tore his ACL against the Golden State Warriors. Porter Jr. even managed 31 points and six rebounds against the Jazz yesterday.
Late addition Austin Rivers is also getting to play a lot of minutes due to injuries to the Denver Nuggets' backcourt players. Rivers scored 25 points against the New York Knicks on Wednesday and followed it up with an 18-point outing against the Utah Jazz last night.
Key Player - Nikola Jokic
Nikola Jokic will dictate proceedings for the Denver Nuggets once again on Saturday night against the Brooklyn Nets. He's the only Nuggets player to start in all of their 67 games during the current campaign. The runaway favorite for MVP honors has averaged 26.4 points, 10.9 rebounds and 8.5 assists per game this season. Jokic nearly had a triple-double with 24 points, 13 assists and nine rebounds in the loss to Utah on Friday.
Denver Nuggets Predicted Lineup
G Facundo Campazzo, G Michael Porter Jr., F Aaron Gordon, F Paul Millsap, C Nikola Jokic
Nets vs Nuggets Match Prediction
The Brooklyn Nets have suffered a rough patch lately but with several players returning from injury, they should be able to perform better. Both Irving and Durant will be playing with a chip on their shoulders as well.
The Denver Nuggets haven't struggled a lot due to injuries, but the shortened rotation is bound to impact their production sooner or later. They'll also be playing on a second straight night after playing a tough game in Utah. Expect the Nets to eke out a win in what's likely to be a close affair.
Where to watch Nets vs Nuggets?
National telecast of this matchup will take place on NBA TV while local coverage of the same will be available on YES Network and Altitude 2. You can also live stream this game on the NBA League Pass.
Also read: Houston Rockets vs Utah Jazz Prediction & Match Preview - May 8th, 2021 | NBA Season 2020-21
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