Almost to the finish line. The Brooklyn Nets took on the Atlanta Hawks last night in Brooklyn and lost 133-109. Two more games to go.

The opponent tonight is in a bit of a jam. The Minnesota Timberwolves are fighting to avoid the play-in log jam and make the top six of the NBA Playoffs. They were on the road last night to take on the Memphis Grizzlies and sang a beautiful tune as they won 141-125. That’s how you make a statement.

Where to follow the game

WLNY on TV. Gotham Sports on the app. WFAN on radio. Tip after 9:00 p.m. ET. So a little late.

Injuries

No Cam Thomas, Cam Johnson, Day’Ron Sharpe, D’Angelo Russell, Noah Clowney, Nic Claxton, Ziaire Williams or DeAnthony Melton. Whew! FYI, Nets had until 5:00 p.m. Thursday to waive Melton but chose not to. So they retain his Bird Rights going into off-season. He is recovering from a torn ACL suffered before he was traded to Brooklyn in the Dennis Schroder deal.

Nothing doing for the Wolves.

The game

The Wolves won the first game last week.

For the Nets, they’re going to try and forget the feeling of last night’s game. It’s one thing to lose. It’s another to be completely non-competitive for most of the night.

The Western Conference standings are chaotic and as we enter the final weekend of the season, the Wolves, Warriors, and Grizzlies all have the same record at 47-33 and are all one game behind both the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers, who are 48-32. My oh my. Everybody’s in action tonight and Sunday afternoon, so we’ll see if we get some clarity on who goes where by the time the night ends.

Individual shot creation is always important, and takes on even more importance in the postseason when possessions get scarcer and the difficulty goes up a few notches. Luckily, Anthony Edwards is here to save the day. The Ant Man is one of the most gifted scorers in basketball, and it was on full display last night as he tuned up the Grizz to the tune of 44 points on 13-19 shooting. When the Ant Man has it going, good luck stopping him.

Players who can create their own shot at an elite level are an absolute MUST if you want to win in this league.

If the Timberwolves want to make it back to the Conference Finals, they’re going to need Rudy to play at a higher level. He’s started to do so in recent weeks, and the Wolves will need him to keep at it until the end of June. Gobert is the key to the Wolves defense and if he’s able to control the paint and hang in long enough when switched onto guards on the perimeter, he’ll be able to make a big positive impact.

Nic Claxton will probably sit on the second half of the back-to-back, so we’ll see our fair share of Drew Timme. The Nets rookie big continued to grab rebounds at a great clip and handed out six assists in his 30 minutes last night. Hopefully this game is competitive so he can get more reps against elite competition.

Player to watch: Julius Randle

It’s tough to be Julius Randle sometimes. When he has a poor game, he’s usually the first person people tend to blame for what went wrong. When he plays well, his efforts often go underappreciated. He’s a player that wears his heart on his sleeve, and how he plays serves as a barometer for the team. He spoke about that recently after a win against the New Orleans Pelicans:

“When I bring energy, the guys feed off of it, so that’s all I wanted to do. Whether it’s the offensive rebounds, setting screens, running the floor, or whatever it is. Just bring energy and do whatever it takes to get the win.”

There’s a reason he was an All Star and All NBA player.

Trendon Watford will look to bring the energy for the Nets tonight. The Nets were pretty flat last night, and it’s pretty rare that it happens two games in a row. If Watford starts again, the Nets will need a lot more than 1-6 from the field and four turnovers if they want to be competitive. This game should also feature a heavy amount of Jalen Wilson. JW did make a career high six three pointers last night, and he should continue shooting with confidence every time he gets a good look from deep. Games like these should serve as lessons for this young Nets team as they try and get to where the Wolves are.

From the Vault

WrestleMania is almost here!

And later this summer, Maya Moore and Sylvia Fowles will be

inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame!

More reading:

Canis Hoopus, Zone Coverage, and SB Nation NBA