Brooklyn Nets vs. Los Angeles Lakers preview: Trying to get back on track

Have you ever had a bad day at work? I mean really, really, REALLY bad? The kind of days where literally nothing goes right and you just count down the hours until it’s time to go home and forget that day ever happened? The Brooklyn Nets experienced that on Wednesday night when they lost by 59 (yes, 59) points to the Los Angeles Clippers. It was the worst loss (by a margin. Lord knows the Nets know painful losses) in franchise history. On the bright side, only one L counts on the scoreboard.

The opponent tonight is still trying to figure some things out. The Los Angeles Lakers have championship dreams with first-year head coach JJ Redick, but it’s been a bumpy road. LA helped their cause by beating the Miami Heat on Wednesday night. Coming into this contest, the Lakers are in sixth place in the Western Conference, but within striking distance of the top four and home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

Where to follow the game

YES Network on TV. WFAN on the radio. Tips after 10.30 p.m. A.

Injuries

Bojan Bogdanovic, Cam Thomas, DeAnthony Melton, Maxwell Lewis and Trendon Watford are out. Dariq Whitehead is with the Long Island Nets. Cam Johnson is questionable. The Nets are 0-8 without him and his combination of size and shooting would be missed.

Jarred Vanderbilt, Christian Wood and Jalen Hood-Schifino are out. Our old friend Dorian Finney-Smith is doubtful for personal reasons. There’s a reason DFS is gone, and it’s a pretty good one!

Congratulations!!

The game

California is still affected by the wildfires, and our friends at Silver screen and scroll has some great info on the work the Lakers are doing to help.

Nic Claxton had a particularly tough outing on Wednesday, and tonight he’ll be back against an all-time Top 75 player. Anthony Davis has anchored the Lakers for most of the season, and Redick is thinking of getting him a little bigger in the frontcourt to help him out:

“We kind of went away from the two big lineups. That’s something we did last night. That’s something we’ll try to get back to in small stretches of games. That doesn’t mean we’re never going to play small, but it’s something I think when we can get some practice time we can really work on the small ball looks.

Davis is tough enough to score against. But when he’s able to roam a little more while another big works the dirty inside? Good luck. On the other side of the ball, the big guy is the go-to option on offense, putting up around 26/12/3/1/2 a night on 53 percent shooting. Davis does pretty much everything well on the field and is someone who can single-handedly change an opponent’s game plan. It’s no wonder he’s a shot for another All Star appearance and likely a Hall of Fame induction when he retires.

For Claxton, tonight would be a good time to come back. It’s been a pretty disappointing season for him and tonight is a good time to come out of it. Noah Clowney will also get a turn guarding Davis, and the super-sophomore can gain some more valuable experience against one of the league’s all-time greats.

If Brooklyn wants to pull off the upset, they’ll need to heat up from distance. The Nets enter this contest ranked eighth in three-point attempts, while the Lakers are just 27th. What the Nets may lack in efficiency, they will have to make up in volume. With D’Angelo Russell returning tonight, he should be able to help against his former team.

The Lakers are 3-4 since trading D’Lo.

“I expect him to come out and try to play a great game,” Lakers boss JJ Redick told LakersNation’s Daniel Starkland after Thursday’s practice. “He does not lack competitiveness. He is very proud of who he is as a player. I expect he will try to go to us tomorrow.”

Bottom line: After a record blowout, the losing team always seems to come back with more fire and energy the next time. Despite plenty of tough losses, Jordi Fernandez has always made sure the team is ready to bounce back and compete.

Player to watch: LeBron James

It looked like Father Time won the battle, but old LeBron still has plenty of tricks up his sleeve. After returning to action after a week off, LeBron James has gone back to playing exceptional ball. Since Dec. 15, James has averaged 24.8 points on a .542/.463/.750 shooting split in nearly 35 minutes a night. Like many people in LA, James has had to deal problems about the fires in the state. He’s doing his best to work through it, and the game of basketball should be a good reprieve for him and the fans.

Even in year 22, James still brings plenty to the table. The physical peaks are not where they were in his younger years, but the intelligence and experience he has gained over the years makes up for it. The job for Redick is to nurse him through the regular season and hope he has enough in the tank to go on another magical playoff run.

Ben Simmons being back should help the Nets make a run. He has collected at least six assists in 11 straight games, and when he pushes to get to the basket, good things happen

Simmons has looked pretty good in recent weeks, and if he continues to play at this level, it will ensure the Nets are competitive every night. The Lakers defense is allowing teams to shoot 70.4 percent inside the restricted area, the second-highest mark in the NBA this season. If the Nets are active off the ball, they will be able to find lanes to the basket where Simmons will be able to put them in scoring position.

From the Vault

Since we’re in his town, it’s only right

More reading: Silver screen and scroll, SB Nation NBA