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The Brooklyn Nets will travel to Colorado to take on the Denver Nuggets on Sunday in a clash billed as the East against the West between two teams with championship aspirations.
The Brooklyn Nets have fallen from the summit of the Eastern Conference standings. They are currently on a seven-game losing streak and have won only two of their last eight games in the NBA.
Coach Nash will be without Kevin Durant for a few more weeks, and will be without Kyrie Irving for the home games due to the COVID-19 vaccination mandate in Brooklyn. However, since this game is being played in Denver, expect Irving to feature.
Meanwhile, the Denver Nuggets come into this game with a losing streak of their own as they have fallen short in their last three games. Superstar Nikola Jokić continues to put in impressive performances as the reigning MVP continues to be the driving force for the Nuggets and their hopes of going deep into the postseason rests on his shoulders.
They are sixth in the Western Conference standings with a record that reads 28 wins and 24 losses as they have won 13 of their 23 games at home this season.
Match Details
Fixture: Brooklyn Nets vs Denver Nuggets | NBA Season 2021-22.
Date & Time: Sunday, February 6th; 3:30 PM ET (Monday, February 7th; 2 AM).
Venue: Ball Arena, Denver, CO.
Brooklyn Nets Preview
The Brooklyn Nets have faced enormous criticism this season due to Kyrie Irving's vaccination stance against COVID-19. That isn't healthy for a team with championship aspirations, as Irving cannot play the Nets' home games.
Their performances took a dive off late as they went from the summit of the Eastern Conference standings to the sixth seed and this can be attributed to the Nets missing Durant. That is significant, as the roster has been plagued with injuries and COVID-19 to key players throughout the season. They have won 17 games on the road out of 27, and are much more likely to lose at home, as their home record hovers below the 0.500 mark.
The objective of the roster is to establish chemistry with the returning Irving, but the loss of Durant for a few weeks is a big blow to the team as James Harden also seems to be struggling with injuries.
Key Player - Kyrie Irving
One of the premier box office players in the NBA, Kyrie Irving is a show stopper with his incredible ball handling skills and his ability to score and finish at the rim. He is an excellent shooter and one of the best finishers at the rim among guards. However, there has been a lot of noise surrounding Kyrie this season due to his unavailability to play in the home games because of the COVID-19 vaccination mandate in Brooklyn.
With that said, he is available for selection for road games and has played 11 games thus far while averaging 22.8 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.8 assists while shooting the ball better than 46% from the floor and over 37% from beyond the arc. He is also shooting better than 93% from the line this season.
Brooklyn Nets Predicted Lineup
Point Guard - Kyrie Irving Harden; Shooting Guard - Patty Mills; Small Forward - Bruce Brown; Power Forward - Kessler Edwards; Center - Blake Griffin.
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Denver Nuggets Preview
The Denver Nuggets have been quite brilliant and look like a formidable unit in the West this season with everything considered. They have won six of their 10 games and also handed a 136-100 blowout loss to the defending champions the Milwaukee Bucks. Their defense has been solid and has helped them stay competitive despite losing two of their best players in Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray to long-term injuries.
Another reason the Nuggets have been so good is Nikola Jokić. The big man is having another stellar season and is the front runner to bad the MVP trophy. He will be hoping to keep putting in good performances and help the Nuggets continue their surge up the standings and make some serious noise in the postseason this year.
Key Player - Nikola Jokić
Nikola Jokić has been arguably the best center in the league this season and possibly the best player in the game at the moment. He leads the league in triple-doubles with 13. The 26-year-old averages 25.9 points, 13.7 rebounds and 7.8 assists for the season while shooting the ball better than 38% from beyond the arc and over 57% from the field.
These are impressive numbers and have helped him presumably top the MVP charts as he will be hoping to repeat and defend his MVP crown this year and fight off the rest of the competition for the prestigious award.
Denver Nuggets Predicted Lineup
Point Guard - Monte Morris, Shooting Guard - Will Barton, Small Forward - Aaron Gordan, Power Forward - Jeff Green, Center - Nikola Jokić
Brooklyn Nets vs Denver Nuggets Match Prediction
The Brooklyn Nets are shorthanded as they come into this game without potentially two superstars. Meanwhile, the Denver Nuggets will be keen to get back to winning ways and have all their starters fit. Coach Malone's men could pose enough of a threat to the Nets to defend their home court and come away with a win.
Where to watch Brookyn Nets vs Denver Nuggets?
You can watch the action between the Denver Nuggets and the Brooklyn Nets on the NBA League Pass. The game will also be broadcast on local TV - YES and ALT.
