Steve Nash wants to get closer to simulating a regular game in the Nets’ preseason finale Friday in Boston. Of course, playing their first true road game in nine months, in an empty arena due to COVID-19, isn’t ever going to feel normal, but he means closer to the regular-season lineup, rotations and minutes.

Unlike last season, the Nets are actually fairly healthy, with neither Kevin Durant nor Kyrie Irving listed on the injury report. Durant is on pace to start the regular season Tuesday versus his former team, the Warriors, and Irving will make his return to TD Garden on Friday, albeit with no salty Celtics fans to boo him.

“Yeah, I think we’re going to take another step toward a regular game, quote unquote, by playing some more regular minutes, or looking a little bit deeper at our rotations and minutes, and trying to emulate what it’ll be like Tuesday against the Warriors,” said Nash, who’ll have his whole rotation available. Only Nic Claxton (right knee tendinopathy) and Elie Okobo (not with team) are missing.

Of course, the Nets can only experience so much of a sense of normalcy playing in an empty arena with no fans. It’ll be their first game in another team’s arena since beating the Lakers on March 10 at Staples Center.

“It’s definitely different. It definitely felt weird to pack getting ready for another road game,” Jarrett Allen said. “But, you’ve just got to take it one step at a time.

“We know there’s going to be a lot more difficult because we know there’s going to be just a whole different vibe going on the road, going on a team plane. If everybody takes it one step at a time and tries to not overthink it, try to make it as normal as possible, then I think we can get back to the usual.”

The Nets were harder hit than any NBA team by COVID-19, and Allen said they’ve taken the protocols to heart for this first trip.

“Everybody you talk to about the whole COVID is that that stuff sucks. They didn’t really go in too much depth about it, but we all know we want to avoid it. Having somebody catch COVID at this point in the season right when we’re starting, trying to build everything together, that’d be devastating. Everybody wants to take it super-serious. Everybody’s following protocol to the best of their ability.”

Allen noted the work assistant coach Amar’e Stoudemire has been doing with him, particularly on his board-work.

“It’s been great, just watching him, just seeing how he just got finished playing, I’m trying to just pick his mind on rebounding stuff. He was a great rebounder, great mentality for rebounding,” Allen said. “He has this mindset to go grab ’em, go up with two hands and just be strong and confident going up there.”

The Nets requested waivers on Kaiser Gates to get the roster to 19 players.

Former Yankees ace CC Sabathia will join Ryan Ruocco (his “R2C2” podcast host) and Sarah Kustok on YES to call Friday’s game.