Demin's return is the biggest Nets storyline. He missed 6 games with a right leg bone bruise and was listed as probable before New Orleans, then went out and led the team in scoring. Brooklyn started Demin, Porter, Danny Wolf, Julius Randle and Day'Ron Sharpe that night. Porter and Randle have scored, but both have struggled on defense, and that problem doesn't go away against anyone with a pulse on offense.
The Grizzlies' slide hasn't been as bad as it looks. The loss to New Orleans was by 1 and the Indiana loss was by 4. Against Denver, Jamal Murray scored 30, Nikola Jokic had 27 and 11, and Memphis still cut a 13-point halftime deficit to 4 with a 38-point 3rd quarter. They also won by 16 in Toronto. The only blowout was the 31-point loss to Oklahoma City. The real problem is the home floor, which has been anything but an advantage as of Wednesday.
Both injury reports carry a guard question. Brooklyn ruled out Nolan Traore (calf) and Mikel Brown Jr. (illness) for New Orleans. Brown had been a real bright spot, averaging 15.2 points and 3.8 assists over his previous 5 games, and the Nets have been managing his workload by sitting him on the second night of back-to-backs. This game isn't one, so if he's over the illness, the Nets could be at close to full strength in the backcourt. Memphis had Scotty Pippen Jr. (back) and Quinten Post (concussion) out against Denver, and Post's absence thins the frontcourt heading into back-to-back nights. Check Friday's injury report before assuming anything about either side.
