TORONTO - In a match-up between first and worst, the unexpected Atlantic Division-leading Raptors (6-7) host the disappointing Brooklyn Nets (3-10) at the Air Canada Centre tonight. Bobby Ryan Jersey . Watch the action live on TSN and listen on TSN 1050 Radio beginning at 7pm et/4pm pt. The Raptors maintained their spot atop the Atlantic Friday after defeating the Wizards, 96-88, for their second win in a row. Meanwhile, the Nets have been the NBAs biggest early-season surprise, coming into Tuesdays contest losers of five straight. After trading for future hall of famers Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce in the summer, the Nets - who are due to spend $190 million this season on salaries and luxury tax, an NBA-record payroll - were the obvious favourites in the division. Instead, theyve struggled out of the gate and are just 1-7, allowing 104.8 points per game on the road prior to visiting Toronto. "Believe me, Brooklyns going to be okay," head coach Dwane Casey insisted. "Theyre going to bounce back. Theyre playing with injuries right now." "I just hope and pray they dont get it together [against us]." Whats the importance of being an early-season division leader? TSN 1050s Josh Lewenberg and Duane Watson weigh in and preview Tuesdays meeting with the Nets on this weeks Raptors Report podcast. Deron Williams and Brook Lopez have been ruled out for Brooklyn, as both remain out with left ankle sprains. Williams has sat out four of the last five games while Lopez will miss his sixth straight. With the Nets all-stars sidelined, their new additions have struggled to pick up the slack. Pierce is scoring 13.0 points per contest on 38 per cent shooting and Garnett is averaging 6.5 points, connecting on 35 per cent of his field goal attempts, all career lows. "Theyve just started slow," said Rudy Gay, who has been battling a bout of the flu thats been going around the Raptors locker room. "I know theyll pick it up, we just have to take care of them before they do." Torontos offence continues to evolve after getting off to rough start. The Raptors averaged 92.3 points in their first six games of the season but have scored 102.3 per contest since. They have recorded 20 or more assists in back-to-back games after accomplishing that feat just once in their first 11. "Were playing harder than our opponents," Gay said. "And no matter what shots go in, what plays work or not, not matter what they do, we play hard." Trends and Tidbits The Nets were victorious in three of four meetings with the Raptors last season but have lost six of their past eight visits to Toronto. Toronto has won consecutive games during the month of November for the first time since 2010, when they team had a four-game winning streak. Combined, the Atlantic Division has a record of 24-46. What to Watch For Control the pace For the most part the Nets have been at the mercy of their opposition. Last in the league in defensive efficiency and fast-break scoring, Brooklyn has been unable to impose their will on either end of the floor. They have been especially ineffective without their starting centre. The Nets have allowed over 113 points per 100 possessions in the five games Lopez has missed, according to NBA.com, and have allowed just 98.7 in the 244 minutes he has played. Who comes to play in the third? The Nets and the Raptors are two of the NBAs three worst third-quarter teams, in terms of point differential. Brooklyn has been outscored by a league-most 67 points in the third frame so far this season, while the Raptors - who have been a net positive in each of the other three quarters - are a minus-44 after the halftime break. "Weve got to meditate," DeMar DeRozan joked, searching for answers to solve his teams third-quarter dilemma. "Whatever weve got to do at halftime, weve got to do it. Weve got to understand thats a critical point of the game." Toronto has turned the ball over 59 times in the third and are allowing opponents to shoot 52 per cent. The Raptors were outscored 32-15 in the period before going on a fourth-quarter run during Fridays win, however the Nets were bested 34-15 after the break, which sealed their fate in Sundays 109-97 loss to Detroit. Who to Watch For DeMar DeRozan Quietly, DeRozan has bounced back after a slow start to the season and is playing some of the best basketball of his career. After shooting 6-of-25 in a double overtime loss to Houston, the Raptors guard is averaging 26.8 points, shooting 51 per cent from the field and 9-of-19 from three-point range in five games, three of which his team has won. DeRozan tweaked an ankle twice in Fridays win over Washington but has been practicing in full and insists it wont be a problem for him going forward. Joe Johnson With Williams and Lopez sidelined and Pierce and Garnett struggling, Johnson has become the focal point of Brooklyns offence. The Nets guard is coming off his best game of the season, scoring 34 points in Sundays loss. Johnsons three-point shooting has been one of the lone bright spots for Brooklyn early in the year. He was 8-for-10 against Detroit and is now shooting 46 per cent from long distance on the season. Injury Report Gay, Amir Johnson and Tyler Hansbrough all participated in shoot around despite battling bouts of the flu. Theyre all expected to play Tuesday. Williams and Lopez have been ruled out for the Nets, still nursing sprained ankles. Jason Terry (knee) and Andrei Kirilenko (back) havent been practicing and are unlikely to be available against the Raptors. Daniel Sedin Jersey . The reported price for the Jays was Marcus Stroman and Aaron Sanchez. Would you make that deal? The Blue Jays are in first place in the AL East. Wayne Gretzky Jersey . The second-seeded Serb was able to control the pace of the match on Court Philippe Chatrier while letting Gulbis unforced errors mount. The powerful Latvian, who was playing in his first Grand Slam semifinal, finished with 44 errors.Four days after being praised as a hero for helping Russia win its first gold at the Sochi Olympics, Evgeni Plushenko was taking criticism Friday for dropping out of the mens figure skating. Plushenkos strong performance in the team event brought wide accolades for his determination to overcome injury. But on Thursday he withdrew before the mens short program, complaining of severe spinal pain during the warmup. Plushenko was Russias only men singles skater in Sochi. He won the slot in a closed exhibition skate that cut out Maxim Kovtun, who beat him in the Russian nationals. Among his critics was longtime rival Alexei Yagudin, the 2002 Olympic gold medalist. He told the R-Sport news agency he supports "people who go to the end." "I think Zhenya will understand my words," he said, using the familiar version of Plushenkos name. "We always competed through the pain." The choice of Plushenko as the sole Russian man was debatable. Although he was the dominant skater the past 15 years, with an Olympic gold and two silvers before coming to Sochi, he is 31-years-old and underwent back surgery a year ago. When he was selected, advocates argued his long international experience made him a stronger choice than the 18-year-old Kovtun. Decision comes under fire But that came under sharp questioning Friday. "Youu should go when its time," Ruslan Nugmatullin, a former Russian national soccer goalkeeper said on Twitter. Kris Versteeg Jersey. "Kovtun earned the right to participate in Sochi2014." Alexei Urmanov, the 1994 Olympic gold-medal winner, suggested that Plushenkos hubris backfired. "Its on the conscience of Zhenya, the team and the federation," he was quoted by R-Sport. To some politicians, Plushenkos withdrawal was a blow to Russias national pride. "Perform through the pain for the honor of the country," Igor Lebedev, a parliament member from the nationalist Liberal Democrats, said on Twitter. Elena Vaitsekhovskaya, the figure skating correspondent for Russias Sport-Express newspaper, seemed weary not only of the intrigue behind Plushenkos selection but also of the appearances of his flamboyant wife, Yana Rudkovskaya, in the mixed zone to support him. "All of this was reminiscent of an incompetently directed stage show," she wrote. "It became harder and harder to sympathize with the athlete." "The one-man show in Sochi has concluded. Real sport has begun," she said in the newspapers Friday edition. But more complaints may still come. "After Sochi, the federation will have to answer for its choice," nationalist lawmaker Vladimir Zhirinovsky said. wholesale nfl jerseyswholesale jerseys ' ' '
