Nets at Clippers
The Brooklyn Nets are coming off their best offensive performance of the young season - just in time to go up against the toughest defensive team in the league. The Nets will try to avoid becoming the seventh straight team to fall to the Clippers when they visit Los Angeles on Monday.
Brooklyn still doesn't have a true point guard with Jeremy Lin (hamstring) on the shelf and Isaiah Whitehead (concussion) day-to-day, but three starters handed out four assists apiece on Saturday en route to a 122-104 win over the Phoenix Suns. Sean Kilpatrick is starting in Lin's vacated spot and delivered 19 points, nine rebounds and four assists in the win. Kilpatrick must deal with defensive pressure from Clippers point guard Chris Paul, who leads the league in steals at an average of 2.7. "It is a lot of games right now," head coach Doc Rivers told reporters after Los Angeles extended the best start in franchise history with a 119-105 win over Minnesota in the second night of a back-to-back on Saturday. "We are doing the best we can. That’s the way we are trying to do it. We are having great focus on both ends. It is starting with our defense, but it is on both ends and that is all you can ask for."
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, YES (Brooklyn), Prime Ticket (Los Angeles)
ABOUT THE NETS (4-5): Brooklyn is asking center Brook Lopez to do different things within the offense under new coach Kenny Atkinson while also anchoring the defense. Lopez already attempted more 3-pointers this season than in the first eight years of his career combined and is knocking them down at a respectable 31.6-percent clip despite a 1-of-5 effort on Saturday. The veteran big man is doing his part on the defensive end as well and blocked five shots on Saturday to give him 11 in the last three contests.
ABOUT THE CLIPPERS (9-1): Lopez will have his work cut out for him against the Los Angeles front line of Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, both of whom posted double-doubles in Saturday's win. Griffin is averaging 20.2 points and 9.8 rebounds and is enjoying a string of three straight games scoring 20 or more points. His performance on Saturday made him the fastest player to reach 9,000 points, 4,000 rebounds and 1,500 assists (420 games) since Larry Bird reached the marks in his 398th game in 1984.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Clippers SF Wesley Johnson (heel) sat out Saturday and is day-to-day.
2. Brooklyn SF Rondae Hollis-Jefferson posted career highs of 20 points and 13 rebounds.
3. Los Angeles took both meetings last season by an average of 7.5 points.