We’re almost at the halfway point of the season and things are getting ugly… if you’re rooting for wins. They’re getting so much better if you’re rooting for losses. The Nets have dropped five straight, most recently a tankfest OT loss against the Utah Jazz.

While we’re on that note, the NBA announced the Draft Lottery will place on May 12. That’s going to be one of the biggest nights in recent Nets history. Same goes for their opponent tonight.

Ping Pong Championship | Nets: 13-26

Time: 10:00 p.m. ET

Opponent: Portland Trail Blazers (13-25)

Tune In: YES Network; WFAN Radio

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Game Preview | Net Income & Jordan Greene

Injuries: No Cam Thomas (left hamstring strain), Bojan Bogdanovic (left foot injury recovery), Maxwell Lewis (left tibia fracture), DeAnthony Melton (left knee ACL tear), or Trendon Watford (left hamstring strain) for the Nets. Ben Simmons (lower back, left knee soreness), Cam Johnson (right ankle), D’Angelo Russell (right shin contusion), Nic Claxton (right hamstring tightness) are questionable. For the Trail Blazers, Jerami Grant (face) and Matisse Thybulle (ankle) will be out. Robert Williams III and Deni Avdija are questionable. Williams may also be on the trade block.

The Game: The explosive backcourt in Anfernee Simons and Shaedon Sharpe have been one of the few positive lights in Portland’s season thus far. Both averaging 18 points a game, Simons’s scoring ability and Sharpe’s elite athleticism allow them to be a dynamic duo. The scoring these two will provide will be key going against Brooklyn, who have been just averaging 103 PPG in their last 10 games.

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