The Brooklyn Nets may have a distinct appearance once they discuss with the Toronto Raptors for the second one time in two weeks on Wednesday evening.
The Nets traded Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton to the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday, simply ahead of their 102-101 highway loss to the Orlando Magic.
In go back, the Nets gained D’Angelo Russell, Maxwell Lewis and 3 second-round draft alternatives.
With Milton scoring 12 issues and Finney-Smith striking up 8, the Nets defeated the Raptors 101-94 on Dec. 19.
The Nets have misplaced 4 of 5 since whilst the Raptors have endured to tumble, losing their eleventh in a row on Tuesday, a 125-71 demolition by way of the host Boston Celtics. The 54-point dropping margin used to be the largest in Raptors’ historical past. It used to be the second-largest margin of victory in Celtics’ historical past.
The departure of Finney-Smith must consequence within the Nets leaning extra on Noah Clowney, 20. As a reserve in opposition to Toronto in December, he had 11 issues and 9 rebounds. Clowney has began 4 of Brooklyn’s previous 5 video games and is averaging 13.4 issues and four.4 rebounds in that five-game span.
“There may be going to be mins to play,” Brooklyn trainer Jordi Fernandez mentioned. “There may be going to be assists. There may be going to be threes. There may be going to be all these items that anyone else has to take. And (Sunday) used to be an instance.”
Clowney had 13 issues at Orlando, capturing 3-for-5 on 3-point makes an attempt in 28 mins of court docket time. The Nets squandered a 21-point lead and have been outscored 34-18 within the fourth quarter.
Fernandez mentioned Clowney is attempting “to do the appropriate issues.”
“It is a large number of issues I will make stronger at,” Clowney mentioned. “Being constant, staying cool. That is almost definitely the primary factor. However it is a large number of issues I want to paintings on.”
“He is taking part in the fringe spot one via 4,” Fernandez mentioned. “He is taking part in the 5. He is letting it fly. Additionally, defensively, he is discovering learn how to be bodily … with out fouling. There may be issues that he can blank up, however this can be a procedure, and you’ve got to move via it. I simply need him mentally to keep an eye on the ups and downs.”
For the Raptors, there were most effective downs previously 4 weeks.
Toronto has dedicated 52 turnovers during the last two video games, together with 21 in opposition to Boston on Tuesday.
The Raptors held Boston to 45 issues within the first part however scored most effective 35. Toronto trainer Darko Rajakovic felt that used to be a favorable construction after the workforce used to be flat within the earlier two video games.
“I assumed within the first part we got here out and we had a large number of combat,” Rajakovic mentioned. “To me that used to be a step in a favorable course.”
Boston, alternatively, shot 74.4 p.c (29-for-39) from the sphere in the second one part and made what Rajakovic felt have been tricky pictures. Boston hit 77.8 p.c (14-for-18) from 3-point vary after the destroy.
The Celtics wound up outshooting the Raptors 54 p.c to 31.4 p.c from the ground and 51.2 p.c (22 of 43) to twenty-five p.c (10 of 40) from past the arc.
Rajakovic mentioned “turning the web page” to be able for the Nets.
“It must be motivation for us to come back out (Wednesday) and be very aggressive,” he mentioned.
Gradey Dick (hamstring) and RJ Barrett (sickness) didn’t pay for the Raptors on Tuesday.
“There may be a large number of adversity, and we are feeling that adversity, and it is excellent,” Rajakovic mentioned Monday. “We are going to use that adversity to our merit, to get data that we want to make stronger, to concentrate on an important issues and to peer the expansion. That is what this entire season is ready, and to additionally be informed who can upward thrust to problem and who can’t.”
–Box Degree Media
