What to Watch for in Nets vs. Nuggets

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

The Nets have lost 14 of their last 16 games after a hot December which saw them own the NBA's best defensive rating.

The Nuggets have managed to tread water with Nikola Jokic out of the lineup, going 9-6 since Dec. 29.

The Nets won their previous battle against the Nuggets 127-115 at the Barclays Center, which was Michael Porter Jr.'s first game against his former team.

MPJ will be making his first return to Denver since getting dealt to Brooklyn for Cameron Johnson in the offseason. Given that he helped the Nuggets win a championship and was popular within the fanbase and locker room, Porter should be met with a nice tribute video and standing ovation from the crowd.

Once the ball gets tipped, though, Porter will probably want to show the team who drafted him why they made a mistake trading him while showing his newfound chemistry with Nic Claxton.

Claxton may not be the all-around force and playmaker that Jokic is, but Claxton is more than capable of running the offense at the elbows and excelling in pick-and-roll actions as a ball handler and screener.

Porter registered a season high 36 points in Brooklyn's 106-102 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday, as the Nets struggled to get the necessary offense to support their leading scorer.

Egpr Demin is still largely a 3-point shooter and has yet to step out of his comfort zone more regularly, which is attacking the basket. Demin has the size and physicality to be a force downhill, but he sometimes gets into his own head and overthinks what the defense is giving him. For now, as long as Demin's 3-point stroke looks good, that's all Nets fans can ask for.

The Nets will also likely try to pressure the ball fullcourt and take the ball out of Jamal Murray's hands, as he can torch any defense on any given night if you let him get to his spot or get hot from deep.

Peyton Watson and Julian Strawther have stepped up immensely with Jokic out of the lineup and Jonas Valanciunas could give the Nets problems on the low block and on the glass.

The Nuggets seem likely to win this game, but a big performance from Porter could change things.