Raps open seven game stretch vs. Nets Friday
Posted January 6, 2012 2:38 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The New Jersey Nets will visit the Air Canada Centre on Friday night to kick off a marathon stretch of games for the Raptors, the likes of which very few Toronto players have seen before.
“I’ve never played so many games in such a short period of time,” Raptors centre Andrea Bargnani said at the Friday’s morning shoot-around.
Despite the cramped schedule that lies ahead, Bargnani also explained that the Raptors will not be looking past the struggling Nets.
“For now, we just think about New Jersey. They’re record is 1-6 but they are much better than their record shows.”
The Raptors will play seven games over the next nine days and things were not made easier with the news that all-star guard Deron Williams and power forward Kris Humphries will return to the line-up for New Jersey on Friday.
“We are going to have to come into the game with our work boots on because Deron Williams is a very capable player,” Raptors coach Dwane Casey said.
Williams missed the Nets 89-70 loss to the Boston Celtics on Wednesday with what is being described as a “sore right side”.
When repeatedly asked how he felt, Williams would only respond with, “I am playing tonight.”
Humphries gave a similar response when asked about his injury. The former Raptor was forced to miss New Jersey’s last two games because of a left shoulder injury.
Despite getting off to a poor start this season, the Nets have had one bright light so far and that would be the play of rookie shooting guard MarShon Brooks. Brooks, a 22-year-old out of Providence, is second in the NBA in rookie scoring at 14.1 points per game.
“It doesn’t matter who we are going up against — he just feels like he can score on anybody,” Williams said of his freshman teammate.
With New Jersey sitting at the bottom of the Atlantic division standings, Casey feels as though the Raptors can’t afford to rest players at this point despite the gruesome stretch of games that lie ahead for his team.
“We don’t have the luxury of looking past anybody in the NBA. We won 22 games last year,” he said. “We have to go game by game so we have to use the entire roster tonight to go against New Jersey.”
The Raptors bench boss said the team may change the substitution pattern of his players in the first half but late in the game the stars are going to have to step up.
With Jerryd Bayless out with an ankle injury, Casey said that Anthony Carter and Gary Forbes will likely still see more court time backing up Jose Calderon but that his team’s No. 1 floor general will have to continue to carry the lion’s share of the minutes.
“Jose’s going to have to log more minutes and earn his keep until Jarryd comes back,” Casey joked.
Several of the Nets said that their main focus would be on stopping Bargnani, who is averaging a team-high 24 points per game.
“He’s a challenge because he’s a seven-footer that can have a combination of a power game and a finesse game,” Nets coach Avery Johnson said.
But Johnson has also taken notice of the improved shooting of Raptors guard DeRozan.
“The key to their team right now is DeRozan,” the Nets coach explained. “The way he is shooting the ball right now from three — this is not the same player we saw (last year); especially from behind the three-point line.”
Probable starters:
New Jersey: DeShawn Stevenson (SF), Kris Humphries (PF), Mehmet Okur (C), Sundiata Gaines (SG), Deron Williams (PG)
Toronto: Rasual Butler (SF), Amir Johnson (PF), Andrea Bargnani (C), DeMar DeRozan (SG), Jose Calderon (PG)
Fast Facts:
The Nets are second in the league in offensive rebounding.
The Raptors are No. 1 in defensive field goal percentage.
Raptors injuries:
Linas Kleiza: Will be a game-time decision tonight. He hasn’t played since having knee surgery last February.
Jerryd Bayless: Can put weight on ankle but not ready to return yet. Still day-to-day.
Aaron Gray: Remains sidelined by heart issue.
Nets injuries:
Deron Williams: Returns tonight after missing one game with a sore right side.
Kris Humphries: Returns tonight after missing two games with a sore shoulder.
Brook Lopez: Out with broken right foot
Damion James: Game-time decision with a sore right foot.
