Tip-off: Monday, 7:35 p.m. ET
Line: Brooklyn -6.5, Total: 192

The Thunder are looking to win their second straight game without both Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant when they visit the Nets on Monday night.

Oklahoma City is coming off a 102-91 home victory over the Nuggets on Saturday. It was the club's first win of the season, but second straight ATS victory having nearly knocked off the 13-point favorite Clippers in a three-point loss on Thursday. Brooklyn also picked up its first win on Saturday with a convincing 102-90 road win over the Pistons. Last season, both these teams won-and-covered when playing on each other’s home court. After the Nets eked out a 95-93 win on Jan. 2, the Thunder rolled to a 120-95 blowout at Barclays Center on Jan. 31 to give them five straight SU wins (4-1 ATS) when playing on the road in this series. Oklahoma City is also 22-10 ATS (69%) in the past three seasons after having lost two of its previous three games. Meanwhile, Brooklyn is 10-3 ATS in this same timeframe after a game where it forced its opponent to commit eight or fewer turnovers. SG Jeremy Lamb (back) is expected to miss this game for the Thunder and PG Reggie Jackson (foot) is listed as questionable, but he is also unlikely to play. C Brook Lopez (foot) will make his regular season debut for the Nets in this game.

Which team will pick up a second straight win on Monday night? For the answer, connect to The Platinum Sheet for all the Expert picks throughout the entire 2014-15 season. StatFox Zach posted a 54% ATS mark (65-56-4) in NBA Best Bets last season, while StatFox Forecaster had a 53.4% ATS (207-181-12) in featured games last season. StatFox Scott and StatFox Gary are both off to a 60% ATS start (3-2) to the young season.

The Thunder have been dealt an extremely difficult hand to start this season, losing both Kevin Durant (foot) and Russell Westbrook (hand) to injury. Oklahoma City is now relying on PF Perry Jones (19.3 PPG, 4.7 RPG) as the top scoring option. Jones struggled in the first game of the season, scoring just three points in 31 minutes. He has, however, responded with 27.0 PPG in the past two contests. Jones is a smooth 6-foot-11 forward with a lot of similarities to Durant. He has fit right into his role of coming off screens and knocking down jumpers, while also using his length to get himself to the basket. PF Serge Ibaka (16.7 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 1.7 BPG) has gone from this team’s defensive anchor to one of its top sources of offense. Ibaka is averaging 20.0 PPG over the past two contests, and will need to be on his game defensively against the Nets. Ibaka is the Thunder’s best shot blocker and it will be his job to protect the weak side when Nets C Brook Lopez has the ball in the post. PG Sebastian Telfair (6.3 PPG, 6.0 APG, 1.7 SPG) is the team’s starting point guard until Westbrook or Reggie Jackson comes back. He had 11 points and seven assists in the loss to the Clippers and followed it up by stuffing the stat sheet with four points, nine assists, four rebounds and four steals in the win over the Nuggets. He’ll need to be all over Brooklyn floor general Deron Williams defensively if the Thunder are going to be competitive in this game.

Brooklyn finally gets to play a home game after opening up the season with two straight away tilts. PG Deron Williams (17.0 PPG, 7.0 APG) has looked very good under new head coach Lionel Hollins. Williams had 15 points and six assists in a win over the Pistons and has played with a renewed energy. He should be even better with C Brook Lopez (20.7 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 1.8 BPG last season) back in the mix. The 7-foot Lopez is one of the best offensive big men in basketball, and he will take plenty of pressure off the Nets guards. One guy who could benefit the most is SG Joe Johnson (26.5 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 4.5 APG), who is coming off a huge game against the Pistons when he dropped 34 points (14-of-23 FG) with eight rebounds and six assists. Lopez’s presence will make sure that opponents can’t just key in on stopping Johnson. The veteran shooting guard will have a tough matchup with Oklahoma City SG Andre Roberson covering him. Roberson is a defensive specialist (7.0 RPG, 1.0 SPG, 1.0 BPG) and his capabilities on that end of the floor are the only reason he is seeing extended minutes with the Thunder. PF Kevin Garnett (14.0 PPG, 10.0 RPG) has started out the season strong, and the Nets will need him to be on top of his game, as he will be seeing a lot of time matched up against Serge Ibaka.