The Brooklyn Nets will have four rotation players returning to their lineup ahead of their Friday night matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Listed on the injury report for various maladies, guard Spencer Dinwiddie, wing Royce O'Neale, forward Cameron Johnson, and center Nic Claxton are available for tonight's game, per HoopsHype's Alberto De Roa. This is a major boost for the Nets, who have had to rely on their collective abilities more than ever now that they aren't able to rely on Kevin Durant or Kyrie Irving offensively on a nightly basis.
While forward Mikal Bridges has made a star turn since being traded from the Phoenix Suns, the Nets can never have too many starting-level players available with the roster that they currently have.
The only player listed on the aforementioned injury report for the Timberwolves is guard Austin Rivers, an interesting development as scoring-minded guard Jaylen Nowell missed five consecutive games with knee tendinitis. Nonetheless, All-Star forward Karl-Anthony Towns remains out as he continues to recover from a calf injury that's sidelined him since late November.
The Nets are 4-6 in their last 10 games, while the Timberwolves are 5-5.
That being said, this game could be Brooklyn's to lose as their have a larger collection of talent and better team defense. Yet, the key for Minnesota could lie in their defensive potential, particularly the matchup between Bridges and Timberwolves defensive standout Jaden McDaniels. Should McDaniels prove himself capable of keeping Bridges relatively quiet, the Timberwolves could maintain their current playoff position.
Since arriving in Brooklyn, Bridges has averaged 25.0 points per game on 51.1 percent shooting from the field and 49.1 percent shooting from 3-point range.
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