After the most tumultuous NBA season in recent history, the league is hoping to get back to some degree of normalcy in the 2020-21 campaign. The NBA was forced to shift its entire calendar as a result of COVID, but it might work out for the best as basketball will be out football’s shadow for a longer period of time. This season will kick off with the Brooklyn Nets hosting the Golden State Warriors at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
This will be the first game out of the bubble and in a real stadium since March 11. Brooklyn will host Golden State in the first game of a TNT doubleheader on Tuesday, December 22, at 7 p.m. ET.
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Injury Report
Golden State took a big hit when it was announced that Klay Thompson would miss his second straight season due to injury. Thompson missed the 2019-20 season with a torn ACL, and he suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon that will end this season before it began. He is a great complement to Steph Curry as one of the best three-point shooters in the game, so his absence will be noticeable.
The Warriors are also dealing with other injuries. The frontcourt is a little banged up as Draymond Green, Eric Paschall, Alen Smailagic, and rookie James Wiseman are all considered day-to-day.
Nicolas Claxton is the only player on the injury report for Brooklyn. Claxton is dealing with a knee injury that will keep him out of action for a little bit.
Game Preview
Everyone will be interested to see how Brooklyn looks in its first game with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving on the floor. The Nets signed Durant last summer, but he missed the entire year recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon. Durant made his preseason debut on Sunday, and he looked like his old self for the limited amount of time he was on the court.
Durant is designed for this era of basketball. He can stretch the floor like no other big man in the league, and he has the athleticism to create mismatches against anyone. He shot over 52 percent from the floor and averaged 26.0 PPG during his last season with Golden State.
As for Irving, he is one of the biggest enigmas in the league. There is no doubt that he is one of the most talented players, but he is somewhat mercurial and did not get along with his teammates in Boston. That will mean every little interaction between Irving and Durant will be overanalyzed for at least the first month.
Caris LeVert, Landry Shamet, Spencer Dinwiddie, and Jeff Green are the other players to watch on the Nets.
It’s going to be a peculiar year for Golden State too. The Warriors welcome back Stephen Curry after he played just five games last season, and there are plenty of questions on this team. Curry’s form will be of the utmost importance considering how vital he is to this brand of basketball, but it will be interesting to see how Andrew Wiggins and Wiseman do in this system.
Wiggins needed a change of scenery after being repeatedly lampooned in Minnesota. He has talent and potential, but it’s clear that he is not the game-changer that the Timberwolves were hoping he would be as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. Meanwhile, Wiseman played just three games for Memphis last year, so he is very raw.
Prediction
There is unlikely to be any animosity when Curry and Durant meet on the court, but it will be a photogenic moment nonetheless. Durant is in a better situation, and it’s likely his Nets get the win here.
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