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Toronto is at home in this one to host the Brooklyn Nets — a team who kicked off 13 wins in 17 games back on December 7th, with an overtime victory over a stunned Raptor squad. Defending home court this time around, the Raptors won’t be so easy to give up another game to the young and hungry Nets.
The Raptors will have a say in whether Brooklyn reaches .500 tonight.
Toronto is as healthy as they’ve been in about a month — when they first lost Jonas Valanciunas to a broken thumb, and then endured various missed games from Kawhi Leonard, Kyle Lowry, C.J. Miles and Norman Powell. It’s been a grueling stretch, but the roster is starting to tighten up just in time for the home stretch — toward the end of February.
TSN’s Josh Lewenberg reported this evening that the Raptors’ newly signed guard/forward Patrick McCaw will be available to play this evening after officially signing his one-year, veteran minimum contract. McCaw had a few words about his new situation, and what he expects for the rest of the season:
From the moment the Raptors reached out to express interest, McCaw said he felt Toronto would be a good fit. He says he's looking forward to being apart of a team again after strange start to the season.
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) January 11, 2019
Who knows — if we get into a garbage time scenario, Toronto fans could see the third-year wing in action. Otherwise, I wouldn’t expect to see McCaw anytime soon in a regular rotation.
For a complete rundown of this evening’s split, head on over to Joshua Kern’s analysis of the division rivals here.
Where to Watch:
Sportsnet One, 7:30 p.m. EST
Lineups:
Toronto — Danny Green, Kyle Lowry, Kawhi Leonard, Pascal Siakam, Serge Ibaka
Brooklyn — Joe Harris, D’Angelo Russell, Rodions Kurucs, Treveon Graham, Jarrett Allen
Injuries:
Toronto — Jonas Valanciunas (dislocated left thumb, OUT)
Brooklyn — Allen Crabbe (sore right knee, OUT), Jared Dudley (left hamstring, OUT), Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (right adductor strain, OUT), Caris LeVert (right foot dislocation, OUT), Dzanan Musa (left shoulder subluxation, OUT)