BROOKLYN – The Nets are looking to quickly move past their poor performance against the Sixers on Sunday night when they host the Raptors at Barclays Center on Tuesday.
Game Info: Raptors at Nets, 7:30 p.m. ET (TV: YES, Radio: WFAN)
Here’s What to Watch For:
An Unwanted Streak
Brooklyn hasn’t beaten Toronto in its last 10 tries, a run it desperately wants to end. The team came close to ending its woes against the Raptors in their last encounter, as the Nets ultimately lost a 114-113 heartbreaker in overtime at Barclays Center on Jan. 8.
The Raptors come into Tuesday’s game having won 15 out of its last 16, so the Nets players know they can’t afford to get off to a slow start.
“For us tonight, we have to come out and be physical, hit first,” Allen Crabbe said at Tuesday’s shootaround.
Crabbe added, “We don’t want to play catch-up, we don’t want to try to come back from 20 points down…I think if we can contain them like we did in the second game, we can put ourselves in a really good situation.”
Slowing down DeRozan
Raptors All-Star DeMar DeRozan is averaging 33 points on 57.1 percent shooting in the first two games of the season series against the Nets – they’ll need to slow him down in the third game to come out with a win.
D’Angelo Russell, who hasn’t played against the Raptors this season, might be tasked with guarding DeRozan at times and explained what makes him so difficult to contain.
“Man, he’s crafty. He stands out on pump fakes, he’s a mid-range guru. He knows how to get to the foul line. You have to be solid and make it tough for him as well,” Russell explained.
Key quotes:
Spencer Dinwiddie on Toronto being the best team in the East:
“I think their confidence comes from winning. I think they’ve put it all together and they’re 15-1 in their last 16 [games]. We’ve got our work cut out for us.”
DeMarre Carroll on guarding Toronto
“The biggest thing is we have to guard DeMar [DeRozan] – start with DeMar and Kyle [Lowry]. Then they’ve got a really good bench, some good young guys there. If we can match their bench, we can pick up a win.”