The battle of New York takes on a different meaning, with Brooklyn having a depleted roster. Here's the betting preview.
Message to Brooklyn Nets fans: Only tune into this game if you're a die hard fan. March Madness will give you more optimism with a future Net or two playing.
Simply because, Brooklyn looks overmatched already facing the New York Knicks.
This battle of New York has taken on a far different meaning this year. And it's not the good kind of meaning.
The Knicks are well oiled and built for an NBA Finals run. Brooklyn is already looking like it'll be another year or more to get toward the Knicks' level.
New York enters as a 17.5-point favorite to trounce the Nets per FanDuel Sportsbook.
Brooklyn doesn't have Egor Demin already for this game. He's been shut down for the entire season and is now eyeing NBA Summer League.
"Now, I know exactly where I’m going to be, I know exactly what I’m going to be doing, and I know exactly what type of timing throughout the summer I’m going to have," Demin said via Erik Slater of ClutchPoints. "So it kind of gives me confidence in my development."
But he's not the only one out for this game...or potentially beyond.
Michael Porter Jr. is not in action for the Friday game due to his lingering ankle ailment. And he's supposed to be reevaluated in three weeks. But that only means he may need to miss the rest of the season.
Porter has struggled with staying healthy throughout the season. But MPJ's newest setback is signaling that it's time to shut him down for the rest of the season and let the younger guys play.
This means more Nolan Traore as the facilitator and shot creator for head coach Jordi Fernandez. Traore has flashed lots of potential despite some rookie mistakes, but Traore helps hand Brooklyn a valuable future as a versatile option.
Same with Danny Wolf and Ben Saraf, the latter coming on strong lately as a post presence. Wolf brings intrigue too with his nose for the basketball. Drake Powell will be the last rookie aiming to earn some starter minutes next season. Like Demin, he's likely to have a large role for the Summer League in Las Vegas.
But again if you're a Nets fan, it's likely best to tune into Kansas vs. Cal Baptist later on Friday evening to see possible future Net Darryn Peterson. Because this looks very much like a one-sided Knicks win.
The YES Network and MSG will air the contest for both the Nets and Knicks fan base, respectively.
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