By WFAN.com
While the Nets have been one of the NBA's biggest surprises this season, a recent rough patch has brought the team back down to earth.
Kenny Atkinson's squad has lost three straight and four of their last five games, giving the team just a half-game lead over the Hornets for the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference.
Luckily for Brooklyn, reinforcements are on the way.
Caris LeVert and Allen Crabbe practiced fully with the Long Island Nets, the team's G-League affiliate, on Tuesday, Atkinson told reporters.
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Crabbe is expected to return for the Nets' Wednesday night matchup against the Denver Nuggets. The 26-year-old guard, averaging 9.5 points and 3.5 rebounds, has not appeared in a game since December 12.
LeVert is not quite ready for game action, according to his head coach, but his return to five-on-five practice is certainly a good sign for Brooklyn's young, rising star.
The 24-year-old was averaging 18.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists in the Nets' first 14 games of the season before suffering a gruesome foot dislocation on November 12.
Atkinson would not give a timetable for LeVert's return, but reports indicate the third-year wing could be back before the All-Star break. Brooklyn has four games remaining before the break, with the last one coming on Feb. 13 in Cleveland.
The Nets could use some help in the backcourt, as Sixth Man of the Year candidate Spencer Dinwiddie is expected to miss a few more weeks after undergoing thumb surgery on Jan 28.
