San Antonio Spurs vs Brooklyn Nets Prediction & Match Preview - May 12th, 2021 | NBA Season 2020-21
The San Antonio Spurs will face the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on Wednesday with hopes of going one step closer to securing a spot in the play-in tournament.
Kyrie Irving could miss the game after taking an elbow to the face from the Chicago Bulls’ Nikola Vucevic on Tuesday.
The incident occurred during the Brooklyn Nets’ 115-107 win over the Chicago Bulls. Irving and Vucevic were fighting for a rebound during the third quarter when the Nets guard was accidentally hit in the right side of his face. Irving left the game and did not return.
The first meeting between these teams this season ended with the Brooklyn Nets winning on the road 124-113. Harden led the Nets with 30 points, 15 assists and 14 rebounds as the Nets snapped a 17-game losing streak in San Antonio.
Match Details
Fixture - San Antonio Spurs vs Brooklyn Nets | 2020-21 NBA Season
Date & Time - Wednesday, May 12th, 8:00 PM ET (Thursday, May 13th, 5:30 AM IST)
Venue - Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY
San Antonio Spurs Preview
The San Antonio Spurs had quite a performance against the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday. DeMar DeRozan and company set a franchise record with 87 first-half points en route to a season-high 146 points by the end of the game. The Bucks were able to manufacture “only” 125 points in total.
The staggering onslaught came as the San Antonio Spurs’ bench outscored the Bucks’ reserves 54-30. Four players scored at least 20 points for the Spurs, while two others had 19. The win gave them a 33-35 record.
The San Antonio Spurs are now two-and-a-half games ahead of the New Orleans Pelicans, who are trying to take them off of the 10th spot in the West.
When they face the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday, expect the San Antonio Spurs to come out with guns blazing.
Key Player - DeMar DeRozan
DeMar DeRozan is the catalyst for this San Antonio Spurs team. His mid-range game is as pure and automatic as any shot in the game today.
Even without LaMarcus Aldridge, the veteran guard has remained a steady performer for coach Gregg Popovich.
In his previous nine games, DeRozan scored 30 or more points three times and 20 or more points eight times. He has had to step up his game after the San Antonio Spurs went on a five-game losing streak. They’ve now won two of their last three games heading into the final four games of the season, which includes the Brooklyn Nets game.
San Antonio Spurs Predicted Lineup
Point Guard - Dejounte Murray l Shooting Guard - Lonnie Walker IV l Small Forward - DeMar DeRozan l Power Forward - Keldon Johnson l Center - Jakob Poeltl
Brooklyn Nets Preview
The Brooklyn Nets (45-24) won their second straight game on Tuesday after going on a four-game losing streak. They have three games left on their schedule, which includes games against the San Antonio Spurs, the Chicago Bulls and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Kevin Durant and crew have a one-game lead in the standings over the third-placed Milwaukee Bucks (44-25) thanks to the San Antonio Spurs and are behind the East-leading Philadelphia 76ers by two games. A win on Tuesday would inch them closer to the Sixers and further away from the Bucks.
According to ESPN's Malika Andrews and Adrian Wojnarowski, James Harden is likely a game-time decision for the Spurs game. If the former MVP makes his return from an 18-game absence, things could get very interesting in the East.
Key Player - Kevin Durant
Kevin Durant has upped his game since returning from a three-game layoff in late April. In the eight games he has played since then, the Brooklyn Nets forward has averaged 30.0 points, 7.8 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks per game. He has also shot 54.8 percent from the field and 48.9 percent from three during that stretch.
If both Irving and Harden are unavailable for the San Antonio Spurs match, the Brooklyn Nets will have to ask more from Durant in order to win on Wednesday.
Under normal circumstances, coach Steve Nash would rather sit him on back-to-back games. However, with only three games to go in their season, they may not have a choice but to play the 11-time All-Star on Wednesday.
Brooklyn Nets Predicted Lineup
Point Guard - Mike James l Shooting Guard - Joe Harris l Small Forward - Bruce Brown l Power Forward - Kevin Durant l Center - Blake Griffin
Spurs vs Nets Match Prediction
It’s rather tough to predict how the San Antonio Spurs will fare against the Brooklyn Nets, whose two stars, maybe even three, may not play. The Nets have struggled without Harden, and the Spurs are still recovering from the five straight losses they recently endured.
If the two teams' recent games are any indication of how this game will go, it looks like we’ll have a shootout between them with the higher octane team winning it. In that case, the Brooklyn Nets should win over the San Antonio Spurs.
Where to watch Spurs vs Nets
The game between the San Antonio Spurs and Brooklyn Nets will be televised locally by Bally Sports Southwest and Yes Network. International audiences can watch the game live on the NBA League Pass.
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