What to Watch for in Brooklyn Nets vs. Clippers

The Brooklyn Nets will face off against the Los Angeles Clippers for the second time this season, this time on the road. The Nets fell to the Clippers 121-105 earlier this month.

The Nets are coming off a double-overtime thriller against the Boston Celtics on Friday, losing 130-126. The Nets have lost nine of their last 10 games.

The Clippers have won 14 of their last 17 games, defeating the Los Angeles Lakers 112-104 on Thursday.

Nolan Traore drew crunch-time minutes in favor of Egor Demin during the Nets' loss to the Celtics, but he'll be out of action for this one.

Demin has not looked great in recent games. Aside from hitting a few 3-pointers, he still hasn't been able to put pressure on the rim and set his teammates up for success.

Brooklyn's offensive game plan will continue to flow through Michael Porter Jr., who put up 30 points on 9-of-19 shooting on Friday.

Kawhi Leonard, who is questionable due to an illness, should be expected to draw the primary defensive assignment on Porter, as Leonard will have to really stick with him off the ball to prevent MPJ from getting open through off-ball screens.

The Nets' offense has also relied heavily on Noah Clowney and Ziaire Williams, with Demin and Cam Thomas not contributing much in recent games.

Williams shot just 1-of-11 from downtown on Friday, but he seems intent on continuing to let it fly, as forcing hard closeouts also opens up driving lanes.

Clowney tends to shoot or attack the rim early in the shot clock, taking advantage of defenses that take their time to set up.

It'll be tough for the Nets to stop Leonard, as Leonard can beat you in the post, on the attack, and from behind 3-point land.

Leonard has the brute strength to fight off any defender, but expect Nic Claxton, Drake Powell, Terance Mann, and Williams to pressure him full-court to try and take the ball out of his hands.

James Harden can also continue to give you problems nightly, as his stepback 3-pointer and burst to the rim have looked sharp as ever.

Harden will also look to set Ivica Zubac and John Collins up for success, as both are capable of putting up points in bunches when set up nicely.

If MPJ goes off and the Nets can keep Leonard and Harden in check, perhaps they could escape with a win.