No matter how many injuries they sustained or how tough their schedule has been, the Nets have looked for solutions, not excuses, all season. But at a time when they are short-handed and have lost back-to-back games for the first time in five weeks, who does the schedule deliver to the Nets' doorstep Monday night at Barclays Center? The 38-13 Milwaukee Bucks, who have the best record in the NBA and multiple All-Stars in Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton.
The Nets (28-26) will be playing their fifth game in eight nights and have lost three of their past four, which coincides with the loss of Spencer Dinwiddie, who has missed the past five games with a right thumb injury that required surgery. His absence was especially noticeable during the Nets' loss Saturday in Orlando, where they had just three double-figures scorers.
Dinwiddie was averaging 17.2 points and combining with All-Star point guard D'Angelo Russell to keep the Nets' offense operating at high efficiency. The Nets are averaging 111.4 points, but that has dropped to 107.6 without Dinwiddie and just 103.0 in the last three losses.
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