What to Watch for in Brooklyn Nets vs. Suns

The Brooklyn Nets will face off against the Phoenix Suns for the second time this season, this time on the road.

The Nets fell to the Suns 126-117 last week at the Barclays Center, as Phoenix was able to withstand Brooklyn's late surge.

The Nets are coming off a brutal 126-89 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday, as the Clippers outscored Brooklyn 38-14 in the first quarter and never looked back.

The Suns have lost two straight games, their latest being a 111-102 loss to the Miami Heat on Sunday.

Phoenix will be without Devin Booker, who's nursing a right ankle sprain. They could also be without Jalen Green, who's listed as questionable due to right hamstring injury management.

Brooklyn will be without Noah Clowney due to back soreness but is expected to have Cam Thomas (ankle) and Nolan Traoré (illness) back in the lineup.

The Nets' chances of winning this game will largely hinge on Michael Porter Jr.'s ability to get hot, as he was held to just nine points on 3-of-11 shooting on Sunday.

Brooklyn would also love to see Egor Demin get back to shooting the 3-pointer efficiently and mixing in more drives to the rim, which will open up easy opportunities for his teammates.

The Nets' rookies, aside from Traoré, had a chance to show what they got during Sunday's shellacking, but they posted forgettable shooting numbers.

This matchup should be more favorable for the Nets, as they'll be facing a team without its superstar scorer and that has lost two straight games.

Of course, tanking is probably in the best interests of this group, but it's hard to expect the Nets to lose every game for the rest of the season, so this could be a good chance for the rookies to go out there, play their best brand of basketball, and build some good morale.

Porter has been dealing with an MCL injury for the greater portion of this month, but assuming he has that under control, this could be a good chance for him to bounce back and set the tone early with his offball movement.

Porter and Nic Claxton should also continue to find each other out there, especially on their effortless alley-oop connection.

If the Nets stick to their principles on both sides of the floor, perhaps they can escape the desert with a win over the depleted Suns.