Nets Look To Build On Two-Game Win Streak And Stay Strong At Home
By Dan Bruno
The Brooklyn Nets play host to the Toronto Raptors at Barclays Center on Tuesday evening.
This marks the first game of a five-game home stand for the Nets (19-8), as they look to build on the momentum of two consecutive wins and add to their, 8-5, home record. James Harden did not play in the Nets' last contest but is expected to be ready to go on Tuesday. Kevin Durant is coming off a massive, 51-point performance, as he led the way for the shorthanded Nets in a win in Detroit, on Sunday. Durant has been great all season and is averaging, 29.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game. Patty Mills continues to play well, averaging 12.7 points on 44.5 percent shooting, including 44 percent from long range. LaMarcus Aldridge has also been a key factor for the Nets, as he is averaging 14.0 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.2 blocks, in 24 minutes per game.
Meanwhile, this marks the second game of a back-to-back for the Raptors (13-14), as they are coming off a home win over the Kings on Monday. The Raptors got out to a great start in the contest and led, 70-45, at halftime. The Kings had no answers in the second half, as the Raptors cruised to their second straight win. Nine players scored in double digits for the Raptors, led by Chris Boucher, who totaled 17 points, five rebounds and a block. Scottie Barnes and Pascal Siakam added 16 points each, while Fred VanVleet tallied 12 points, three rebounds, five assists and two steals. Yuta Watanabe also came up big, with 12 points, 10 rebounds, two assists and a steal, off the bench. The Raptors will look to keep the momentum going, as they get back on the road with the hopes of building on their, 7-5, road record. Precious Achiuwa (COVID-19), OG Anunoby (hip) and Khem Birch (knee) are all expected to remain sidelined.
This marks the first game of a five-game home stand for the Nets (19-8), as they look to build on the momentum of two consecutive wins and add to their, 8-5, home record. James Harden did not play in the Nets' last contest but is expected to be ready to go on Tuesday. Kevin Durant is coming off a massive, 51-point performance, as he led the way for the shorthanded Nets in a win in Detroit, on Sunday. Durant has been great all season and is averaging, 29.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game. Patty Mills continues to play well, averaging 12.7 points on 44.5 percent shooting, including 44 percent from long range. LaMarcus Aldridge has also been a key factor for the Nets, as he is averaging 14.0 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.2 blocks, in 24 minutes per game.
Meanwhile, this marks the second game of a back-to-back for the Raptors (13-14), as they are coming off a home win over the Kings on Monday. The Raptors got out to a great start in the contest and led, 70-45, at halftime. The Kings had no answers in the second half, as the Raptors cruised to their second straight win. Nine players scored in double digits for the Raptors, led by Chris Boucher, who totaled 17 points, five rebounds and a block. Scottie Barnes and Pascal Siakam added 16 points each, while Fred VanVleet tallied 12 points, three rebounds, five assists and two steals. Yuta Watanabe also came up big, with 12 points, 10 rebounds, two assists and a steal, off the bench. The Raptors will look to keep the momentum going, as they get back on the road with the hopes of building on their, 7-5, road record. Precious Achiuwa (COVID-19), OG Anunoby (hip) and Khem Birch (knee) are all expected to remain sidelined.
Warriors and Knicks Face Off in Big Apple
The Golden State Warriors take on the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night.
The Warriors (22-5) have experienced a couple of rare stumbles in the last five games, but they'll check into Tuesday's interconference clash with three wins over the last four contests. Golden State's most recent success came Monday night, when they notched a 102-100 comeback win over the Indiana Pacers. Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 26 points, adding six rebounds, six assists, one steal and one block. Draymond Green furnished 15 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Andrew Wiggins matched Green's scoring tally and also recorded five rebounds, one assist, three blocks and one steal. Kevon Looney tallied 14 points, eight boards and three assists. Otto Porter delivered 10 points and six rebounds.
The Warriors will come into Tuesday's game without any short-term injuries to report.
The Knicks (12-15) are seemingly a shadow of their early-season selves, as they'll check into Tuesday's game with losses in six of their last seven contests. Their most recent stumble came Sunday afternoon, when they fell to the Milwaukee Bucks by a 112-97 score. Quentin Grimes led the Knicks with 27 points, supplementing them with three rebounds, three assists and three steals. Derrick Rose and Kevin Knox produced matching 18-point contributions, with Rose also recording seven assists and Knox pulling down five rebounds. Immanuel Quickley furnished 11 points, five assists, two steals and one rebound.
The Knicks will be without RJ Barrett and Obi Toppin due to COVID-19 protocols Tuesday.
Tuesday's contest marks the first of two meetings between the teams this season. The two squads split the two-game 2020-21 season series.
The Warriors (22-5) have experienced a couple of rare stumbles in the last five games, but they'll check into Tuesday's interconference clash with three wins over the last four contests. Golden State's most recent success came Monday night, when they notched a 102-100 comeback win over the Indiana Pacers. Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 26 points, adding six rebounds, six assists, one steal and one block. Draymond Green furnished 15 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Andrew Wiggins matched Green's scoring tally and also recorded five rebounds, one assist, three blocks and one steal. Kevon Looney tallied 14 points, eight boards and three assists. Otto Porter delivered 10 points and six rebounds.
The Warriors will come into Tuesday's game without any short-term injuries to report.
The Knicks (12-15) are seemingly a shadow of their early-season selves, as they'll check into Tuesday's game with losses in six of their last seven contests. Their most recent stumble came Sunday afternoon, when they fell to the Milwaukee Bucks by a 112-97 score. Quentin Grimes led the Knicks with 27 points, supplementing them with three rebounds, three assists and three steals. Derrick Rose and Kevin Knox produced matching 18-point contributions, with Rose also recording seven assists and Knox pulling down five rebounds. Immanuel Quickley furnished 11 points, five assists, two steals and one rebound.
The Knicks will be without RJ Barrett and Obi Toppin due to COVID-19 protocols Tuesday.
Tuesday's contest marks the first of two meetings between the teams this season. The two squads split the two-game 2020-21 season series.
Pistons, Bulls matchup postponed
The game between the Detroit Pistons and the Chicago Bulls, set to be played Tuesday at United Center, has been postponed due to health and safety protocols.
Trail Blazers Host Suns on Tuesday
The Portland Trail Blazers play host to the Phoenix Suns at Moda Center on Tuesday.
The Suns (21-5) find themselves in their worst stretch of the season, losing two of their last four games. The fact that we call that their worst stretch is a good indicator of how ridiculous this team is, owning the best record in the NBA. One of those losses came against a Golden State team with the second-best record, while the other came against the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday. That does mean that this is the second half of a back-to-back set, and that's a challenging task for a club that's missing Deandre Ayton (illness) and Devin Booker (hamstring) right now. It might be an excellent opportunity to rest Chris Paul here as well because the 36-year-old is working hard with his league-leading assists total.
The Trail Blazers (11-16) are in big trouble. They've been trying to cope without Damian Lillard (abductor) and C.J. McCollum (lung), but things have not gone well. They enter this matchup losing five straight and eight of their last nine games in total. The one silver lining is that Dame returned in the team's most recent loss, providing 24 points 11 rebounds, and six assists against the Minnesota Timberwolves. A home loss against Minnesota shows just where this team is at, with Portland owning a 10-5 record at home. Everyone believes this team is capable with a stud like Lillard, but all the trade rumors have fans wondering just how much longer these losing ways can continue.
These teams split their two meetings last year, with the home team winning both outings. That followed up a three-game season sweep by the Suns in the year prior.
The Suns (21-5) find themselves in their worst stretch of the season, losing two of their last four games. The fact that we call that their worst stretch is a good indicator of how ridiculous this team is, owning the best record in the NBA. One of those losses came against a Golden State team with the second-best record, while the other came against the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday. That does mean that this is the second half of a back-to-back set, and that's a challenging task for a club that's missing Deandre Ayton (illness) and Devin Booker (hamstring) right now. It might be an excellent opportunity to rest Chris Paul here as well because the 36-year-old is working hard with his league-leading assists total.
The Trail Blazers (11-16) are in big trouble. They've been trying to cope without Damian Lillard (abductor) and C.J. McCollum (lung), but things have not gone well. They enter this matchup losing five straight and eight of their last nine games in total. The one silver lining is that Dame returned in the team's most recent loss, providing 24 points 11 rebounds, and six assists against the Minnesota Timberwolves. A home loss against Minnesota shows just where this team is at, with Portland owning a 10-5 record at home. Everyone believes this team is capable with a stud like Lillard, but all the trade rumors have fans wondering just how much longer these losing ways can continue.
These teams split their two meetings last year, with the home team winning both outings. That followed up a three-game season sweep by the Suns in the year prior.