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Raptors-Nets Preview

Mar 20, 2010 - 3:37 AM By ANTHONY GIORNALISTA STATS Senior Writer

Toronto (33-33) at New Jersey (7-61), 7:30 p.m. EDT

With their playoff chances on the line, this is an ideal time for the struggling Toronto Raptors to be facing two of the league's worst teams.

Following yet another letdown, the Raptors look to snap a six-game road losing streak as they visit the lowly New Jersey Nets on Saturday night.

Toronto (33-34), which has lost 10 of its last 12 overall, would likely be out of playoff position if Chicago weren't playing so poorly. The Raptors are in eighth place in the Eastern Conference, 2 1/2 games ahead of a Bulls team that has lost 10 straight.

Consecutive games against subpar opponents give Toronto a chance to gain some confidence. Two days after facing the league-worst Nets (7-61), the Raptors will remain on the road for a matchup with Minnesota, which has the West's worst record.

Toronto is 3-0 against New Jersey this season, winning by an average of 16.4 points. The Raptors have a chance for their first four-game season series sweep of the Nets.

But even New Jersey might be too difficult of an opponent to overcome if Toronto struggles as much as it did in a 115-89 loss to Oklahoma City on Friday night. The Raptors shot 43.8 percent and committed 19 turnovers, four by All-Star forward Chris Bosh.

Bosh and Andrea Bargnani will be matched up inside with Nets center Brook Lopez on Saturday.

Lopez is coming off one of his worst performances of the season, finishing with 12 points on 2-of-9 shooting in New Jersey's 108-97 loss at Philadelphia on Wednesday night.

The Nets, losers of six straight, hope to give Lopez some help, with point guard Devin Harris and power forward Yi Jianlian both expected to return after practicing Friday. Harris has been out the last two games with an upper respiratory infection, and Yi has missed the last six with a sprained left ankle.

Harris, averaging 17.3 points and 6.7 assists, hopes to help New Jersey avoid a dubious record. The Nets need to win three of their last 14 games to avoid tying or breaking the league record for single-season futility, a 9-73 mark set by Philadelphia in 1972-73.

"The effort just has to be there," Harris said. "I think the wins and losses will take care of itself. We have to play hard enough in order to win these games. We, at points in time, play for 39 minutes, maybe 41 and sometimes 47, but we need to give those 48 minutes."

Harris' return should help New Jersey do a better job of getting the ball to Lopez in the post.

"We need to make more of a conscious effort that when (Lopez) has deep position, we need to give him the ball regardless of if he has an open shot or not," Harris said. "He's our focal point in the paint. We need to first and foremost try to get him going and try and get the rest of the guys going."

Lopez had a game-high 22 points while going 9 of 12 from the field in New Jersey's 106-89 loss to Toronto on Feb. 19, the teams' last meeting. The Raptors played without Bosh but still had seven players score in double figures.