Michael Porter Jr.'s Elite Off-Ball Movement Among Keys to Watch in Nets vs. Pistons

The Brooklyn Nets and Detroit Pistons will face off for the final time this season.

Detroit won its first two meetings over Brooklyn, but the Nets pulled off a shocking 23-point comeback win over the Pistons on Saturday to snap a 10-game losing streak.

Brooklyn will be without Day'Ron Sharpe (left thumb sprain) after a string of impressive performances on both sides of the floor, especially against Detroit. Saturday night's hero Ziaire Williams will also be out due to an illness.

The Nets will have one less big man to apply defensive resistance against one of the best scoring teams inside the paint, especially with Cade Cunningham's knack for putting pressure on the rim and Jalen Duren's innate ability to fight through contact.

It'll be up to Nic Claxton to try and stop Detroit's All-Star big man, though Duren has a clear size advantage on Claxton and could make life difficult for the longest tenured Net.

The Nets will be getting Michael Porter Jr. back after a one-game absence due to rest, as he'll be tasked with going bucket for bucket against Detroit's MVP candidate.

Porter finished with 30 points on 10-of-25 shooting and 13 rebounds in his last game, which involved him having to get free against Detroit's aggressive, in your skin defense.

Porter made just three of his 12 attempts from downtown, but against Detroit's strong interior defense, the best entry pass might just be hoisting as many triples as you can to help Brooklyn's big men grab offensive rebounds for easy putbacks.

In any case, Porter's offball activity and willingness to let it fly from deep will force defenses to rotate, which could help the Nets exploit mismatches on other areas of the floor.

To counter Sharpe's absence and Cunningham's ability to get downhill, I expect the Nets to have multiple defenders take on the challenge of pressuring Cunningham full-court.

We've seen Drake Powell get that assignment in previous matchups, but Ochai Agbaji and Nolan Traoré should also be given ample opportunity to get reps in those areas to try and force turnovers for easy Nets points in transition.

The Nets proved they have what it takes to beat the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, though Detroit was without Cunningham. However, a win is a win, and there is enough proof in the pudding that the Nets could at least make this a competitive game.

Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET at Barclays Center.