“I think Harden is on his way out and Kyrie has a million things going on” – Nick Wright believes the Brooklyn Nets have no shot at winning the Eastern Conference, says they might not make it to the conference finals

The Brooklyn Nets have tumbled in little more than a month, going from Eastern Conference leaders to sixth place in the standings.

Brooklyn (29-22) is 6-13 in that span. The Nets have been without Kevin Durant, who had been a frontrunner for the MVP award, for their past nine games and will go on without him for some more. They are 2-7 without their marquee player.

Brooklyn, which plays at the Utah Jazz on Friday, is currently on a season-worst six-game losing streak. That stretch has included losses to the Minnesota Timberwolves, LA Lakers, Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors, Phoenix Suns and Sacramento Kings.

A Bleacher Report story last week said point guard James Harden is reluctant to extend his contract with the franchise and prefers to become a free agent in the offseason. These are some of the Nets’ issues that have been largely responsible for their slump.

Fox Sports analyst Nick Wright insisted Brooklyn stands no chance at winning the East, let alone reaching the conference finals.

“The Nets have no shot in the East. … Have you watched Harden since Kyrie’s been back? I don’t know what changed,” Wright said. “Harden looks checked out. This is barreling towards another playoff exit before you even get to the ECF. I think the Nets are in massive trouble … I don’t think Harden is happy to be there, and Kyrie has a million things.”

The Brooklyn Nets look to end their six-game losing streak in tonight’s game against the Utah Jazz

The Brooklyn Nets play at the Utah Jazz (31-21) on Friday night at Vivint Smart Home Arena. The game will be their 27th away game, with the Nets having won 17 of them.

James Harden speaks on the Nets’ 6-game losing streak.

James Harden speaks on the Nets’ 6-game losing streak. https://t.co/VDp95V1EZ4

They come into the game in their worst rut of the season, having lost six straight games. It’s the longest losing streak they have experienced in over two years.

The Nets are in dire need of their small forward Kevin Durant, who might not be available until later in the month because of a knee injury. The freefall has already damaged their push for the playoffs, or at least seeding.

The East is tightly packed, with little separation.

Brooklyn is a mere three games behind first place and two games behind fourth place, which would give the Nets homecourt advantage in the playoffs. So, they aren’t far behind, despite the struggles of the past month.

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However, the Nets are also just 1.5 games from falling into the play-in tournament. So, there is also little wiggle room for a further fall.