Brooklyn Nets vs. Minnesota Timberwolves preview: Trying to end a death spiral

You know the proverb: out of the frying pan and into the fire. After losing their last two games to the Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors by an average of 39 points (their last seven losses have a margin of 21.1), they head into Minneapolis Target Center for a game with the Minnesota Timberwolves, currently leading the Western Conference with a 39-17 record.

The excuses have all reached expiration dates. The Nets are as healthy as they’ve been all season and they dumped their head coach. Nothing seems to work with the current roster and chances of making even the play-in seem slim. They’re currently 2 ¹⁄₂ games behind the Atlanta Hawks for 10th and the last play-in spot following the Hawks loss to the Raptors Friday night, but the Raptors are closing in. They are now only one game behind Brooklyn. A couple of more losses and the Nets record of making the post-season five straight years will end.

Where to follow the game

YES Network on TV. WFAN on radio. Tip after 9:00 p.m. ET. So it’s a late one on the East Coast.

Injuries

Only Dariq Whitehead is out. Everybody else is good to go. The newest Net, Jaylen Martin, signed to a two-way Wednesday, will be with Long Island.

Rudy Gobert sprained an ankle in Friday’s loss to the Bucks and is day-to-day. Expect him to play. Guard Jaylen Clark is out indefinitely with an achilles issue.

The game

The Nets lost a close one to the T’wolves in Brooklyn on January 25.

At this point, Brooklyn appears spent, losing by 28 to the Raptors two nights ago in Toronto following the All-Star Break and the dismissal of Jacque Vaughn. After losing to the Celtics by 50 just before the break, the two game total looks like this: Opponents 257, Brooklyn Nets 179. They haven’t broken 100 points since February 13 when they lost to the Celtics at home, 118-110.

The losses, the dismissal of the head coach and now reports that members of the controversial (and we’re being kind) Koch family are on the verge of buying a minority stake have left fans increasingly frustrated.

Turning things around in Minny will not be easy. Although they are on the back end of a back-to-back and lost the front end Friday to Milwaukee, 112-107, they are tied for the second best record in the NBA, behind only the Celtics. They’ve won seven of their last 10 and have a budding star in Anthony Edwards.

Moreover, there is a new energy in Minneapolis as Mitchell Hansen wrote in our sister site, Canis Hoopus, this week:

Any fan who has walked in Target Center in Minneapolis to watch the Minnesota Timberwolves this season has noticed a different atmosphere than they might have experienced…