Brooklyn likely has its confidence soaring through the roof after taking down Detroit. Does Memphis present an easier matchup though?
The Brooklyn Nets pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the weekend by taking down Detroit. They entered Little Caesars Arena as a 14-point underdog and previously taking a 53-point onslaught against the Pistons.
This has to mean Brooklyn is the heavy favorite here against the Memphis Grizzlies, right?
Unfortunately there's still no love from FanDuel Sportsbook for the Nets. Memphis is listed as the favorite, albeit a slight one with the line at two points. DraftKings is another plugging the Grizzlies as the favorite, but only at 1.5-points.
Oh the disrespect for a team that knocked off one of the league's best. And they're facing an opponent in Memphis with a way worse record than Detroit.
But let's remember the last time the Nets felt "disrespect." That came on Saturday with the Nets retaliating from a 23-point deficit.
Brooklyn brings multiple elements working in its favor. Michael Porter Jr. rediscovered his shooting touch and dropped 30 points in 39 minutes. He also grabbed 13 rebounds against one of the better defenses in the league.
Nic Claxton emerged as a force on the defensive side by swatting three blocks. Claxton also broke into the top five of Nets history for all-time blocks.
Noah Clowney delivered 16 points and will surely be trusted down low against the Grizzlies' post defense. But Brooklyn rediscovered another shooter in Ziaire Williams, who produced 23 points in reserve duty while grabbing four rebounds.
Memphis happens to be dealing with its own botched lead from the Grizzlies' previous game. They jumped on the Los Angeles Clippers with a 41-23 lead after the first quarter. Except Kawhi Leonard and company stormed back with a 35-18 second quarter before eventually pulling off the 123-120 rally.
Monday's contest presents a unique tale of teams that either faced a massive deficit or had a large lead slip away. The YES Network will have coverage of the Nets action. Meanwhile, FanDuel Sports Network South has the game airing too for the Grizzlies audience. Fans can tune into either or station through NBA League Pass featuring Premium ($114.99 with no commercials, more in-arena access) or the standard ($79.99 with commercials).
But again, Brooklyn likely feels underestimated once again after beating a 14-point favorite over the weekend. Hence why the Nets claim this one in close fashion and start their first winning streak since Feb. 7-9.
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