The Raptors won the first meeting back in mid-December and they’re also in a bad mood after a poor showing in Miami days ago. The Nets? Well, they’ve lost four in a row.

HOME TEAM: Brooklyn Nets (16-17, 9-6 at home)

The Nets come in having lost four consecutive games, two of which had them allowing 120 or more points and one where they got dominated by the hapless New York Knicks.

While the absence of Kyrie Irving and Caris LeVert are taking toll and the defense is returning to its horrible state, the offense is also a cause for concern. The Nets have been awful in the current losing streak, shooting only 38.9% from the floor.

The true gap between established, more proven players and the talented, up-and-coming cager is also becoming more visible. Even with an array of solid underrated players, as led by Spencer Dinwiddie and his All-Star worthy season (26 PPG and 7.2 APG as a starter), all Brooklyn could show is being a lower-seeded playoff squad.

The Nets lost to the Toronto Raptors last December 14th, 110-102. Dinwiddie delivered team-highs 24 points and eight assists but the team only shot 38.6%.

ROAD TEAM: Toronto Raptors (23-12, 9-7 on the road)

The Raptors are continuing to stumble. They have now dropped four of their last six outings, with the last one being one of the worst all season. In Friday’s 84-76 loss to the Miami Heat, the defending champions had season-lows in points and field goal shooting (31.5%), including an appalling 6-for-42 from downtown.

Like the Nets, and as we’ve mentioned in prior previews, the Raps are also trying to survive without a handful of their key players – Pascal Siakam (groin), Marc Gasol (hamstring), and Norman Powell (shoulder). All three were present in the Raptors’ previous win over the Nets and they were the team’s top three scorers that night, so that should be on the top of the concerns.

Kyle Lowry is tied for third in team scoring that day with 17 points, though, and he’s healthy. He’s also averaging 23.1 points and 8.5 assists over his last 10 games. He, along with Fred VanVleet (17.6 PPG, 6.9 APG), and OG Anunoby (11.1 PPG) are the top producers for the Raptors while the team is incomplete.

PREDICTION:

The Raptors win a hard-fought game, 113-109.