The Brooklyn Nets will face the Utah Jazz at Barclays Center tonight. This game might just be a warm up to the Battle of NYC Part III being held on Wednesday night for most of the Nets family, but for Deron and Humphries this game has sentimental value. Deron was drafted by the Utah Jazz as the 3^rd pick in the 2005 NBA draft and spent six seasons with the Jazz before being traded abruptly to the Nets. Believe it or not, Deron isn’t the only current Nets player drafted by the Jazz. Kris Humphries was the 14^th pick in the 2004 NBA draft by Utah and spent two seasons as their 12^th man. Because of the way things ended for both players and the Jazz, they want nothing more than to beat their old team tonight. Utah is a well-coached and a gritty basketball team with success against the Nets in recent years. The Nets last win vs the Jazz came on 1/19/2011, and are 1-6 in their last seven tries. After gifting their last game to the Bulls, Nets are looking to bounce back at home and to snap out of their December funk. With Brook Lopez having got his feet wet over the last two games, we expect to see a bigger role for him tonight. Brook’s presence has alleviated pressure from the All-Star backcourt of Brooklyn. The Nets went 2-5 without their All-Star center. Since being back he is showing why the Nets have missed him so much in December.

Nets are 13-10 this season after going 11-4 in November mainly due to their ability on the defensive side of the floor. Brooklyn is 12-4 when holding opponents to 100 or fewer and 1-6 when allowing opponents to score over 100 points this year. They are among the top 8 teams in every measurable defensive ranking this season. Another reason for their success is their strength on the board; the Brooklyn Nets have three players in the NBA’s top 20 in rebounding percentage with Reggie Evans leading the league in that category. The Nets need to find their groove back, and carry over the momentum into 2013. The best way to start the momentum would be with a win against the Knicks tomorrow. And the best way to prepare for the Knicks game would be to win tonight against the Jazz at Barclays Center.

If you are looking to go see the Nets play their first Christmas Day game at Barclays Center this season, we have 2 VIP tickets available for you. The tickets are priced at $240/ticket, which is the lowest available on the internet for VIP seats directly behind the Nets bench. Check out the seats at our store: http://netscourtside.bigcartel.com/

Can these two right the ship for the Nets?
Credit: Debby Wong-US PRESSWIRE

 Nets Individual NBA Rankings Leaders

Source: NBA.com