STOP THE BLEEDING

NETS NOTABLES
The Nets came into the season with a lot of hype. They acquired Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Jason Terry from Boston, and then they signed Andrei Kirilenko. In a very surprising move they also hired Jason Kidd as their head coach about a week after he officially retired from the NBA. So far the Nets have been severely underwhelming. They beat the Heat, which is good, but their only other win comes against the winless Utah Jazz. Losses to Cleveland, Washington and Orlando are not in line with Brooklyn's expectations. They'll be coming to prove a point just as much as Sacramento will be so the Kings need to be ready to play.

MATCHUP OF THE GAME
DeMarcus Cousins vs. Brook Lopez

For all the flashy names on the Nets roster, Brook Lopez might be their actual best player. Lopez is one of the most talented offensive centers in the league, and is averaging 20.2 points on an exceedingly efficient 58.8% from the field. DeMarcus Cousins got abused by the last offensively gifted center he faced (Al Horford) so he'll need to do a much better job against the taller, younger Lopez. Offensively, Lopez probably isn't as good a defender as someone like Horford but he's got length and good instincts. The Kings need Cousins to win this matchup or at least keep it close to have a fair chance at taking this game. Lopez is not a good rebounder, so this is an area where Cousins can excel.

PREGAME HAIKU

PREDICTION

Brooklyn 95, Sacramento 90 (Yeah I don't believe my Haiku either)