Nets at Suns
The Brooklyn Nets will still be looking for their first road win when they visit the Phoenix Suns on Friday. The Nets have lost all four away games, including a 107-86 setback Thursday in Sacramento to start a three-game Western swing. The Suns are coming off a tough one-point loss Wednesday at Portland but have won all four home games by an average of 8.5 points.
Brooklyn was seen as a potential title contender by many around the league after making a blockbuster trade with the Boston Celtics to acquire Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Jason Terry, but the team has struggled to gel in the early going. "It's unacceptable," first-year Nets coach Jason Kidd said after the loss at Sacramento. Meanwhile, young Phoenix is one of the league’s early surprises under first-year coach Jeff Hornacek.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, YES (Brooklyn), FS Arizona (Phoenix)
ABOUT THE NETS (2-5): Brook Lopez continued his stellar start to the season with 16 points, nine rebounds and five blocks in the loss to the Kings, but the supporting cast has been lacking. Garnett, a 19-point scorer in his 18-year career, has yet to reach double figures this season, and Pierce, who has averaged 21.7 points for his career, hasn’t hit 20. "I hope this was a wake-up call to start the trip," Pierce said after Wednesday’s loss.
ABOUT THE SUNS (5-3): Perhaps the biggest area of improvement under Hornacek has been on the defensive end. Phoenix allowed an average of 101.6 points while going 25-57 last season but is ranked sixth at 95.3 points thus far. Center Miles Plumlee, who played sparingly as a rookie in Indiana last season, leads the team with 2.1 blocks and 9.6 rebounds.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Kidd, who played for Phoenix from 1996-2001, is coaching against one of his former teams for the first time.
2. Plumlee, who has four double-doubles this season, has recorded double-digit rebounds in three straight games.
3. Brooklyn has won the past three meetings.