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The Raptors have been a tale of two teams so far this season:
The home team: A 3-4 squad that battles hard all game, and has competed with the likes of San Antonio and Dallas.
The road team: A 1-12 team that plays un-inspired basketball, and has an evident lack of effort near the end of games.
With 5 of the next 6 games being played in the ACC, there is hope for this Dinos squad, that has been a disaster away from home all season.
However, due to some interesting circumstances (ahem Amir) the Raptors are playing shorthanded tonight. They'll be without Amir Johnson (ref tug of war), Andrea Bargnani (elbow), Linas Kleiza (knee) and Kyle Lowry (shoulder), along with the 'usuals', Alan Anderson, and Landry Fields.
DeMar, Jose, JV and Ed Davis will be heavily relied on in this one, as the Raptors are missing three key players. However, if the bench can come together and play some inspired basketball at home, this is a winnable game for the Dinos.
The Nets have been very Raptor-esque as of late, losing five in a row, including a heart breaker last night against their hometown rivals. The absence of Brook Lopez will also help the Raptors, as the big-men won't have to deal with his ability to score down low.
The only bright spot for the Raptors this season has been their impressive play at home, and hopefully they can continue that trend tonight against the Nets.
Note: Quincy Acy has been recalled from the D-League, and will play in tonight's game. He'll be just the 9th healthy player on the Raptors squad.
GO RAPS!!