Game Thread: Brooklyn Nets at Utah Jazz -- This game is the first game of the rest of the season

February Game Streams -- NetsDaily -- Nets vs Jazz coverage

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I really don't have much to say about tonight's Brooklyn Nets @ Utah Jazz game that I didn't already say in the preview. (Check the stream) The Nets are making trades and playing without a lot of guys tonight. Brook Lopez is out. Jason Terry and Reggie Evans are traded. They're in game 2 of a 7 game road trip. They lost their last game, to the Chicago Bulls, by a ton. And well, Richard Jefferson and Derrick Favors are game time decisions. The main fulcrum to this game is obvious Deron Williams, trying to right his teams' ship after the all-star break, after a blowout loss, against the team that drafted him, in a building he's never shot well in as the visitor, and head to head against the Jazz' new, hot, young, rookie point guard in Trey Burke.

Tonight's really going to be all about Deron Williams -- and historically when that's the deal, he doesn't deliver. Well, he used to in a Jazz uniform, but he's not in one anymore. His Nets career has been awful compared to how great he was here. OBVIOUSLY the 17.3 / 9.1 / 3.2 / 1.1 he got in Utah was WAAAY better than the 18.2 / 8.2 / 3.1 / 1.1 he's getting as a Net, right? If you look at it, over all, there's little difference. The main one, if there is one, is that he's shooting more, particularly from deep, scoring more, making the same percentage as from outside as he did in Utah, but missing way more from two point range. Even the playing time is a virtual dead even with 35.6 in Utah, and 35.4 in New Jersey / Brooklyn.

But enough with that Duhron guy. If D-Will is the Fulcrum, our F-15 is Gordon Hayward.

Hayward will be playing at times against Andrei Kirilenko, Paul Pierce, Joe Johnson, Alan Anderson, and Shaun Livingston at times tonight. A lot of guys will be on him giving him a lot of different looks. If we're going to win tonight, we're going to need him. Especially if Trey Burke in all of his rookie wall-ness is phagocytoted by angry D-Will, and RJ and D-Fav can't play. Or you know, in that Yoda "There is another" way, perhaps Alec Burks . . . but we all know deep down that he may never be better than Randy Foye. (St. Locke)

At the end of the day we have to look at the big picture here. This isn't just a D-Will vs. Gordon Game. Or even a Nets / Jazz game. It's just the first game in the rest of the season. There are 30 to go, and this is the last one before the trade deadline. Many chips may fall between now and then. And we just have to roll with it.

UPDATE:

Derrick Favors (right hip sprain) is inactive, Malcolm Thomas will be active. Richard Jefferson (stomach cramps) will play/start. #BKNatUTA

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) February 20, 2014

Richard Jefferson (stomach cramps) will start tonight vs. Brooklyn. Derrick Favors (right hip sprain) is inactive. Malcolm Thomas is active

— Jonathan Rinehart (@jonrinehart) February 20, 2014

Enes Kanter will start in place of Derrick Favors.

— Jonathan Rinehart (@jonrinehart) February 20, 2014