Brooklyn Nets' Schedule Breakdown and Record Predictions for December

The Brooklyn Nets are hoping December can yield better results than the first month of their season.

Through 14 games, the Nets stand at 6-8, though they're coming off a win over the Philadelphia 76ers, albeit one that almost feels like a loss considering the NBA's only winless team played Brooklyn to an eight-point game.

With an Eastern Conference-heavy schedule during the holiday season, the Nets have a chance to turn around their fortunes. Still, Brooklyn plays a number of top-tier teams from the East, including the Cleveland Cavaliers, Toronto Raptors and Chicago Bulls. 

So, let's look ahead to the month of December and see exactly how the Nets should do, breaking down matchups and predicting how Lionel Hollins' squad will fare during each week of the coach's second regular-season month as a Net.

Week of December 1: A Difficult Start

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Home: Chicago Bulls (Nov. 30), San Antonio Spurs (Dec. 3), Atlanta Hawks (Dec. 5)

Away: New York Knicks (Dec. 2)

Predicted Record: 2-2

This week doesn't seem particularly fair.

Chicago—yes, we've included one November game in the December schedule—and San Antonio seem like clear losses for obvious reasons, even if Derrick Rose and Gregg Popovich aren't present for those games. (Plus, getting the Spurs on the second night of a back-to-back just seems unwinnable.) Sandwiched between two championship contenders is a subpar opponent, but one that is still a rival: the Knicks.

The Knicks may be 4-12, but games from Atlantic Ave. to 34th Street tend to have a different atmosphere, especially the ones in the Garden. Knicks fans get up for those contests, especially. The Nets should win it, mostly because they're the better team, but it's hardly a guarantee.

Brooklyn closes out the week against those pesky Hawks, who own one of the NBA's best big-man combinations in Paul Millsap and Al Horford, especially with Horford starting to pick up his game of late after recovering from last year's pectoral injury.

The Nets could easily lose any of these games, but we'll call it a 2-2 week because they're (a) better than the Knicks and (b) getting the Hawks at Barclays Center instead of on the road.

Week of December 8: At Least the 76ers Even It out

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Home: Cleveland Cavaliers (Dec. 8), Philadelphia 76ers (Dec. 12)

Away: Chicago Bulls (Dec. 10), Charlotte Hornets (Dec. 13)

Predicted Record: 2-2

December doesn't necessarily treat the Nets well.

By the second week of the month, it's perfectly plausible the Cavs, who have won two in a row, will be on a roll by the time they get into Brooklyn.

Cleveland's next three games include the Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Bucks and Knicks—all should-be wins. Then, LeBron's squad heads to Toronto for the Raptors. If it wins that, it could enter Barclays on a six-game winning streak with extra momentum coming from a victory over one of the Eastern Conference's best. 

The Cavs are back, baby (and they're not even back, yet). 

Brooklyn then follows heading to the other preseason Eastern Conference favorite, the Bulls. Two December games against Tom Thibodeau's defense? Sounds fun.

The Nets can at least find solace in the fact that they get the 76ers at home after a rough duo of games. And if you're going to play a road back-to-back, you might as well do it in Charlotte, though the Hornets' modified roster could be clicking better come Dec. 13.

Even so, that game is hardly a guaranteed win. Anyone can lose on a road back-to-back, and Al Jefferson is a tough matchup for the Nets' struggling center defense. Still, we'll give the Nets a 2-2 week.

Week of December 15: The LeBron Week

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Home: Miami Heat (Dec. 16), Detroit Pistons (Dec. 21)

Away: Toronto Raptors (Dec. 17), Cleveland Cavaliers (Dec. 19)

Predicted Record: 2-2

We can agree these two road games are losses, right?

Sitting at 13-2, Toronto looks even better than it did last year with improved defensive cohesion and further development of a young roster. The Raptors are 9-1 at home, and you'd have to imagine they'll want to exact some revenge against the team that knocked them out of the playoffs during a seven-game, first-round playoff series last spring. 

Toronto is legit. By this time, Cleveland likely will be, as well. That means Brooklyn has to win its home games to hit .500 for the week.

The Pistons have looked awful early. A victory over Detroit should come for the Nets.

The Heat, meanwhile, are somewhat impossible to evaluate considering their health is always such a question mark. Will Dwyane Wade play in this game or not? If he does, will he be 100 percent or nursing some new knee injury? 

Since we have no way of knowing, let's just take the home team and say Brooklyn finishes the week at 2-2.

Week of December 22: You Better Hit Threes

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Home: Denver Nuggets (Dec. 23), Indiana Pacers (Dec. 27)

Away: Boston Celtics (Dec. 26)

Predicted Record: 3-0

After a slate of tough Eastern Conference games, the Nets can start to get on a bit of a streak during Christmas week. 

The Nuggets have won five of six now, but who knows how hot they'll be by the time they head to Brooklyn at the end of the month? Denver has a roster lacking in plenty of areas. If the Nets start playing like they should, welcoming in the Nugs is a good opportunity for a win. 

Brooklyn follows the Denver game with a back-to-back against two sub-.500 teams, the Pacers and Celtics. 

The coaches of both, Frank Vogel and Brad Stevens, play similar defensive styles, closing out hard on three-point shooters and funneling ball-handlers to the middle of the floor. Both teams give up loads of three-point attempts, each ranking in the top 10 in three-pointers allowed.

Boston doesn't even defend it particularly well. Opponents are shooting 40 percent from long range against the Celtics. If the Nets manage to hit their threes against those teams—Brooklyn is shooting 34 percent from beyond the arc—they have a good shot at pulling out victories against squads they should beat anyway.

Week of December 29: The Bulls, Again? Really?

David Zalubowski/Associated Press

Home: Sacramento Kings (Dec. 29)

Away: Chicago Bulls (Dec. 30)

Predicted Record: 0-2

By this point, we'll be approaching the New Year, and we'll have a better answer to "So, what's the deal with the Kings?"

It's hard to say exactly how good Sacramento is for the moment. One thing we do know, though: DeMarcus Cousins is good. Really, really good. 

He is averaging 26.4 points and 14.2 rebounds per 36 minutes on his most efficient shooting numbers ever. The Nets have struggled to guard centers when Brook Lopez is on the floor. Hollins has prioritized going away from his starting center late in games on plenty of occasions now. This game is possibly one when he'll have to get Lopez to the bench even earlier than usual.

The next night, the Nets have Chicago. Again. On a back-to-back. On the road.

That's not a win. It's something we like to call a loss.

Brooklyn may build up some momentum the week before this one, but it seems Hollins' Nets have a decent chance to lose it heading into 2015. 

Finals Thoughts

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After all this, the Nets' predicted record for December (and one November game) comes out to 9-8, which would put them at 15-16 on the season.

Brooklyn was actually 10-21 through 31 games last year, so sitting one game below .500 is not exactly a death sentence for this team, especially in the Eastern Conference. It is, however, an indictment on where Brooklyn stands in the league—somewhere in the middle of the pack and at the edge of the playoff picture.

The Nets look like they'll contend for a low playoff seed in the East. But it's also a realistic possibility they miss out on the postseason altogether. 

During a month when Brooklyn plays Chicago three times, Cleveland twice and Toronto once, the Nets have their fair share of tough Eastern Conference games. But there are two important words in that sentence: Eastern Conference. 

Brooklyn isn't really playing the elite of the West in December. That comes in January and February. And once the Nets start compiling games against the stronger divisions, it could start to get ugly.

Ultimately, Brooklyn needs to start stacking up wins against weaker opponents—something it hasn't been able to do thus far, already dropping games to Boston and Minnesota. Hopefully for Hollins and his crew, the holiday season can change that.

Fred Katz averaged almost one point per game in fifth grade but maintains that his per-36-minute numbers were astonishing. Find more of his work at WashingtonPost.com or on ESPN's TrueHoop Network at ClipperBlog.com. Follow him on Twitter at @FredKatz.

Unless otherwise noted, all statistics are current as of Nov. 27 and are courtesy of Basketball-Reference and NBA.com.