NETS GAMENIGHT: #Raptors @ #Nets

TORONTO RAPTORS (22-21) @ BROOKLYN NETS  (20-22)

Barclays Center 7:30

TV: YES – RADIO: WFAN 660/101.9FM

[quote_simple]NETS STARTERS
The starting lineup tonight will be  Shaun Livingston playing alongside Alan Anderson in the backcourt with Joe Johnson, Paul Pierce up front and the man in the middle Kevin Garnett.

Brooklyn came away with an ugly hard fought 85-79 win in Boston amidst all of the emotions running wild for the return of its former legends.  The win shows that this team has enough veteran leadership to overcome just about anything on the basketball court.

No one shot well and there were a ton of open shots and the shooting percentages bared that out.  The Nets shot a miserable 39.3 percent from the floor but also held the Celtics to an ever worse 37.8 percent from the floor.  The game was downright ugly.

In any event the Nets came away with their fifth straight win and are looking for some revenge tonight when they face the only team that has beaten them in January.

[box]Injury News: No News

Deron Williams continues to come off the bench and will continue for the foreseeable future as the team continues it new year run.

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RAPTORS  STARTERS

The Raptors starting lineup will be Kyle Lowry and John Salmons in the backcourt with Terrence Ross, Amir Johnson and  Jonas Valanciunas playing in the frontcourt.

Toronto is 6-4 in their last 10 games and are coming off a horrible defensive effort in a 126-118 loss to the visiting Clippers.

Ross picked up the slack for an injured DeMar Derozan last game when he tied a franchise record with a career-high 51 points while hitting 10-for-17 from 3-point range.

Patrick Patterson did a number on the Nets in the last meeting with a double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds off the bench including seven of the Raptors monstrous 16 offensive rebounds.

[quote_simple][box]Game Notes:

The Nets are looking for their sixth straight victory, which would be their longest winning streak of the season.

At 10-1 in January, the Nets have already clinched their best winning percentage in the month of January in their NBA history (38 years).

The season-series is currently tied, 1-1, with both games played in Toronto.

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[box]WHAT TO LOOK FOR

Revenge

The Raptors beat the Nets on Jan. 11 behind Derozan who had 26 points in a 96-80 victory.  Derozan will not be playing in this game due to injury so that is  a break for Brooklyn as he has played at an All-Star level this season.

Getting one game closer to the Atlantic division lead with another win in January will certainly taste better than what it was like in Toronto a couple weeks ago.

Toronto will play six of its next nine games on the road leading into the NBA All-Star break so now is the time for Brooklyn to make its move.

Andray Blatche on playing the Raptors again –  “It’s payback time, just like we did with the Knicks. They beat us in Toronto and we have to come back and take care of it [Monday].”

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[box]INJURY REPORT

NETS

Brook Lopez  – OUT (ankle)

RAPTORS

Landry Fields  – OUT (wrist surgery)

DeMar Derozan – OUT (left ankle sprain)

Patrick Patterson – probable (broken nose)

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